KUALA LUMPUR: The annual Perseids meteor shower will light up Malaysia’s night skies at about 1.30am tomorrow.
The National Space Agency (NSA) in a statement said the meteor shower will be visible for an hour, in areas, free of light pollution.
The astronomical phenomenon this year may see up to 150 meteors zipping through during the hour long show.
"However, the waning gibbous moon will make it a challenge to see the meteor shower clearly," it said, adding that the moon, which will be three-quarters full, was expected to rise at 10.16pm tonight.
Dubbed the most popular meteor shower of the year, the Perseids occur annually between July 17 and Aug 24 when the earth runs into pieces of cosmic debris left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle. The shower’s peak occurs on Aug 12.
According to the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Swift-Tuttle, whose nucleus is 26 kilometres wide, is the largest solar system object to pass close to Earth repeatedly.
Researchers once thought it was likely to hit Earth in 2126 — but the last time it passed Earth, in 1992, astronomers took more precise measurements and calculated that its next pass would not be so dangerous after all.
The best way to catch the meteor shower is to get to a location that has a clear view of the entire night sky.
Ideally, that would be somewhere with dark skies, away from city lights and traffic.
To maximize your chances of catching the show, look for a spot that offers a wide, unobstructed view.