Watch The Perseid Meteor Shower Tonight, Where Space Debris Lights Up Earth's Atmosphere

There's a meteor shower happening tonight-The Perseid meteor shower is occurring as per schedule to start on August 12th morning and end on 13th August night.

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The Perseid meteor shower is scheduled to occur this time every year, when our mighty blue planet crosses through the end of a comet dubbed 'Swift-Tuttle'. This comet which is around 25-kilometres large, usually orbits around the Sun. As the comet flies through space, Sun raises the temperature of the ice-cold comet that results in a release of loose material like smaller rocks and dust.

These form a cloud of debris throughout Swift-Tuttle's route around the Sun. The Earth passes through this debris-infused cloud every year, at this exact same time. This results in the debris getting showered in Earth's atmosphere, reaching speeds up to 160,000 kilometres per hour.

The debris pieces are tiny, so they aren't something to be scared about. When they hit the upper area of our atmosphere, they're hit with numerous gases, along with the gravity. The intense friction burns up the debris pieces, making them glow. This results in a beautiful picturesque sky that's often anticipated by astronomers and enthusiasts.

While this is a regular occurrence every year, this year things seem a little bleak, as this year, at this moment, we have the (full) moon in all its glory. Which means that the glowing moon would outshine the glowing particles entering from space. You could catch a glimpse of some larger sized rocks which will surely glow brighter, but the smaller ones won't be bright enough to outshine the moon.

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Yet, you shouldn't give up. Grab a mat and a blanket and plan a late-night meteor-shower gazing on top of your building terrace or balcony. If you can't do it this year, there's always the next year! And the moon isn't expected to be as bright as this year's too.