This Sunday and Monday evenings provide a unique opportunity to witness a celestial phenomenon as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak. Every summer, Earth passes through this meteor shower, which results in a spectacular display of shooting stars. Peter Laursen, an astrophysicist and science communicator at the Cosmic Dawn Center at the Niels Bohr Institute, reports that there will be between 50 and 100 shooting stars per hour during the height of the Perseids.

Although the peak occurs in the middle of the day on August 12, there are still good chances to see shooting stars on both Sunday and Monday nights, weather permitting. Laursen recommends looking towards the constellation Cassiopeia, which is shaped like a “W” and is located high in the southeastern sky. Just south of it is the constellation Perseus, which is the direction from which the Perseids originate. According to Laursen, all it takes to spot them is patience and a good view of the sky.

The Danish Meteorological Institute’s (DMI) on-duty meteorologist, Mette Zhang, also confirms favorable prospects for meteor hunters. While a thin layer of clouds may appear, it should not prevent viewers from enjoying the show if they keep an eye on the sky.

Meteor showers like the Perseids originate from clouds of tiny grains of sand and dust left behind by comets. The Perseids are associated with Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last passed near Earth in 1992. Laursen notes that the comet comes close to Earth every 130 years, posing a slight risk of collision in the future; however, fortunately, that is more than a century away.

Overall, the upcoming evenings offer a unique chance to experience the glowing wonders of nature, as long as one finds a good spot for stargazing.