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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Get ready to watch meteor shower

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Stargazers in the Sultanate can witness one of the dramatic cosmic displays of ‘Perseid Shower’ lighting up the summer sky this weekend.


The shower, which began on July 17, will continue until August 24.


One can witness it around 9 pm on August 12 and early hours of August 13.


Ali bin Amur al Shaibani, an Omani astronomer and member of Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, says to spot the shower, enthusiasts should locate themselves at a spot with a clear sky-view without any urban light pollution, and look towards the northeast.


They will be able to watch it with the naked eye.


Even a telescope is not needed.


“Perseid shower occurs normally every year in the month of August with a flare rate of 80-100 per hour at 60 km per second, but at this year the Perseids’ rate will be about half of what they would be normally, because of the bright moonlight,” Al Shaibani added.


Astro-enthusiast Issa al Shaikh says he has planned a camping trip this weekend at Jabal Shams resort to watch the shower with his friends.


He will bring his telescope to observe Jupiter and Saturn the same night. “Jabal Shams, Al Jabal Al Akhdhar and other Oman mountains are the best places to watch Perseid meteor shower and other astronomical events because of the low rate of light pollution and clear sky-view. A lot of people from Oman and outside go there regularly to enjoy stargazing in cold weather, especially during summer,” Al Shaibani said.


Lakshmi Kothaneth


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