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Astronomers all over the world have been gazing up at the stars to observe the annual Perseid meteor shower. This year was particularly favorable due to the moon setting early, enabling even the faintest meteors to be observed in locations with low levels of light pollution. The best time was midnight to dawn on the mornings of August 12 and 13. You might also have seen Perseids before those dates, since the shower builds to a peak gradually. Afterwards, the Perseid meteor shower falls off rapidly.

The next good opportunity to see a major meteor shower will be on the mornings of November 17 and 18, 2010 when the Leonid meteor shower will peak, with the moon out of the way. There are several minor meteor showers – or major showers wiped out by moonlight – between now and then. For more details of upcoming meteor showers, visit the EarthSky website.

If you are interested in Dark Sky projects then why not contact the space ambassador for Scotland, Dan Hillier, who led the creation of the Dark Sky Scotland partnership, involving the Forestry Commission Scotland, the Institute of Physics Scotland, Glasgow Science Centre and others to run vibrant community astronomy events at locations throughout Scotland. Dan is currently developing a similar programme for the rest of the UK and Ireland. Dan’s contact details can be found on the space ambassadors section of the UK-ESERO website.