Perseid meteor shower Australia: Stargazers must head north to witness cosmic magic

It will be a double delight for stargazers as North Wales would allow them a chance to not only witness the Perseid meteor shower but also spot Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury this August. The five planets would be aligned along with the famous Perseid meteor shower, a perfect treat for stargazers.

In case people missed the January-February line-up of the five planets, August would be a perfect month for them to witness the spectacular phenomena.

“From August 4th through the 7th spot Venus, Mercury and Jupiter-and the moon-low on the western horizon about 45 minutes after sunset. On the 20th, the three planets make a pretty triangle five to ten degrees above the horizon. Look in the south-southwest sky for a second planetary dance. Mars and Saturn are high and easy to see and are joined by the moon on August 11^th,” read the transcript of Jane Houston Jones from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Jones continued saying there would be “more planets, dwarf planets and an asteroid visible this month.” Dwarf planet Ceres, Neptune and Uranus would be visible before dawn in the southern sky. Neptune and Ceres will require a telescope to be seen while Uranus will be visible through binoculars. Pluto can be viewed via telescope after sunset in southern sky. Asteroid Pallas will also be seen.

The annual Perseid meteor shower can be seen on Aug. 12. Meteor activity is expected to reach its peak at around 1am. Stargazers may witness up to 90 meteors an hour, writes Daily Post.

Australian stargazers need to head north to the Tiwi Islands, Cairns, Cape York or Darwin for the best views. However, this year the meteor shower will be mainly visible in the Northern Hemisphere. Hence, the further north people are in Australia, better would be their chances to witness the cosmic magic.

As per Australian Geographic, the next visually worthwhile meteor showers will be in October and November when the Southern Taurids would mesmerise stargazers.