Qatar Calendar House Spots Perseid Meteor Shower in Qatar’s Skies

Astronomical Observation Team at the Qatar Calendar House (QCH) spotted the Perseid meteor shower from Sawda Natheel area, south of the State of Qatar, during early morning hours, on Tuesday. Astronomical expert at QCH, Dr. Bashir Marzouk, highlighted that such an event is one of the QCH's primary activities to advance the skills of its observation team, affirming that the participants enjoyed sighting a sheer number of Perseid meteors with the naked eye, in addition to viewing of milky way galaxy spiral arms, as well as Andromeda Galaxy using astronomical devices, and identifying the salient features of star clusters in the sky. For a span of four hours, numerous QCH's astronomical observation team members engaged in this activity, alongside those interested in Astronomy in Qatar. Dr. Marzouk elucidated that Perseid meteors are distinguished and among most intense and active meteor showers. He added that the rate of meteors falling per hour when it reaches its peak ranges between 60 and 100 meteors, accor ding to astronomy experts accounts who are expert in meteor sighting. The phenomenon becomes active annually from Jul. 23 to Aug. 24 each year. Comet SwiftTuttle was discovered in 1862 and is the source of this phenomenon. It was named after it had showed up near the constellation Perseus. This constellation appears as a man holding the head of the Gorgon. Source: Qatar News Agency