The sizzling August heat won’t be the only thing making you see stars this summer. The Perseids meteor showers are going to light up Dubai skies on August 12 and 13; it’s quite literally a stellar sight to behold.
This one’s even better than a supermoon, guys – bursts of 60 to 100 meteors per hour will rain down from the heavens. If you’ve got some wishes to make, now is the time. Since meteor activity peaks around a gibbous moon, clear, inky black skies are tough to come by, but these meteor showers are visible to the naked eye. No binoculars or telescopes are required.
Where can I watch the Perseids in Dubai and wish upon a shooting star?
You’ll just have to make sure you pick a dark sky site – places with zero to little light pollution. Luckily, the UAE is blessed with vast swathes of deserts ideal for stargazing gazing such as the Al Awir desert. Another good stargazing spot is Hatta. A two-hour drive from Dubai, not only is this small town one of the world’s most beautiful, but it also has numerous camping spots to stargaze at leisure without being too far away from civilisation.
If you’re up for driving two hours to Ras Al Khaimah, the Dubai Astronomy Group is hosting a meteor-sighting event at Jebel Jais – the UAE’s highest peak. Lay down on cushions and carpets to look up at the heavens for flashing asteroids, expert astronomers will guide you with fun factoids, and myths and legends surrounding the Perseids Meteor showers. Q&As, telescope observation, astrophotography, and an educational talk are all part of the AED 175 ticket per person.
🗓️: August 12
⏰: 11pm-3am
What is the Perseids Meteor Shower?
The Perseids are space debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle – the largest object to pass through Earth’s orbit. Every year, when the Earth zooms through this comet’s orbit, leftover dust particles and broken asteroid bits (rocks) fall through our atmosphere and burn into glowing streaks of fire. In fact, the Perseid meteor showers are famous for fireballs – explosions larger than the average meteor shower.
Because of how plentiful they are, NASA actually calls the Perseids ‘the best meteor showers’. Although this spectacular cosmic event is active every year from July to September, it only reaches maximum activity in mid-August. As these meteors appear to burst from the same point in the sky as the constellation Perseus (the Greek hero who defeated Medusa), they’re named Perseids.