A Meteor Shower Is Happening This Week. Here's Where And How Malaysians Can Check It Out
It is said to be one of the year's most dazzling meteor showers!
By Arisha Rozaidee — 12 Aug 2021, 05:48 PM
The annual Perseid meteor shower is upon us once again and Malaysians will have the opportunity to witness bright lights zoom across the sky
What are the Perseids, you ask?
Well, according to National Geographic, the Perseids will be one of the year's most dazzling meteor showers and they are produced by debris from comet Swift-Tuttle, a 16-mile-wide chunk of ice and rock that orbits the sun once every 133 years.
The Perseids meteor shower has been visible every August for at least the past 2,000 years and under great viewing conditions, Perseid-watchers can expect to see as many as 30 to 100 meteors blazing overhead per hour.
NASA reported that the shower's peak is between 11 August and 13 August, with the best viewing hours being tonight, 12 August, starting from midnight until dawn.
The Perseids are visible from anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, and lucky for us, that's exactly where Malaysia is
According to The Star, there are several locations that are popular among local stargazers due to their dark surroundings and clear skies.
This includes Tanjung Simpang Mengayau which is located at the uppermost tip of the Borneo island, fishing village Kampung Teluk Pelanduk in Port Dickson, and tourist destination Cameron Highlands.
Besides that, if you're near Pantai Malindo in Penang, Pulau Tioman in Mersing, or Pantai Remis and Pantai Redang in Kuala Selangor, then you're in for quite a treat because these are also hotspots for those who love to enjoy the annual celestial display.
However, if you can't make it to any of these physical locations, you can also enjoy the meteor shower from your own home by catching live streams online
Besides that, Sabah-based group Dark Sky Malaysia will also host a live stream session in collaboration with the state's Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation and the National Planetarium.
The live stream will start at 8pm on August 12 on both Dark Sky Malaysia's Facebook page and YouTube channel, as well as on Karnival Sains Sabah's Facebook page.
Make sure to check out tonight's amazing display. Who knows if you're going to get as lucky as this guy:
