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Skywatchers are in for a treat this weekend as the Perseids meteor shower peaks.
Up to 70 meteors should have started to streak across the sky yesterday and into tonight.
Caused by the comet Swift-Tuttle – the largest known object to repeatedly pass by Earth, at nearly 16 miles, or more than twice the length of Guernsey – leaves a trail of debris which the planet passes through every year.
The comet last passed by Earth in 1992 and won’t again until 2126.
The average speed of the meteoroids – what they’re called while in space – is roughly 60 kilometres per second as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Most are the size of sand grains, some as big as peas or marbles. Most burn up in the atmosphere. The intense heat created as they vaporize creates shooting stars, with most becoming visible around 60 miles high.
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