It was a sight that experts described as "unmissable".

But while the majority of the UK enjoyed the Perseid meteor shower last night, Glasgow missed out.

The clouds above the skies of the city meant the people of Glasgow failed to enjoy "one of the brightest and most active celestial events in the astronomer's calender".

The annual shower of shooting stars officially started last month but it runs until August 24.

If the weather conditions improve, however, Glasgow, could still be treated to a stunning shower of meteors.

What is the Perseid meteor shower?

The “shooting stars”, a result of debris falling from the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle bursting into Earth’s atmosphere.

As these chunks of celestial rock fall from space, they appear as bright streaks of light zipping across the sky.

Due to the perspective from which stargazers watch the shower from the earth, the meteors appear to emerge from a single point in the sky known as the 'shower radiant'.

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This will be made up of several meteors, which are the result of a particle the size of a grain of sand vaporising in Earth’s atmosphere.

There will, however, be some larger and more impressive than this within the shower radiant. Those that are larger than a grape will produce a fireball, often accompanied by an afterglow known as a meteor train - a column of ionised gas that fades from view as it loses energy.

The Perseids are popular with stargazers because the shower usually sees around 60-100 meteors per hour. However, this year's shower is expected to be particularly impressive, with up to 200 meteors per hour.

When is the best time to see the Perseid meteor shower?

The best place to spot the Perseids is in the Northern hemisphere, but those wishing to catch a glimpse of the shooting stars will have to either stay up late or get up extremely early.



Where is the best place to see the Perseid meteor shower?

Find somewhere dark

The darker the location, the better, so those hoping to spot the Perseids should aim for vantage points away from the light pollution of towns and cites.

Look to the north-east


Be patient
