'Super-moon', Perseid meteor showers promise spectacular night show next week

The Perseid meteor shower is sparked every August when Earth passes through a stream of space grit left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. - REUTERS/Ali Jarekji REUTERS/filepic

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians have the opportunity to witness the Perseid meteor showers and "super-moon" phenomenon from Monday to Wednesday.

The National Space Agency (Angkasa), in a statement Friday, said biggest and clearest full moon for this year will occur simultaneously next week with the Perseid meteor showers, providing a spectacular sight.

Perseid meteor showers occur when the Swift Tuttle comet passes through the solar system every 133 years and leaves behind a dust trail.

According to the statement, the best time to witness the occurrence is after midnight until dawn in the northeast direction.

The showers can produce many fireballs that have similar brightness as planets like Jupiter and Venus.

When the sky is dark or free from moonlight, the observer normally can witness more than 100 meteors per hour.

The statement added that the "super-moon" phenomenon would occur when the moon is at the nearest position to the earth, at 14% closer and 30% clearer compared with other nights.

The moon will be at a distance of 356,896km at 1.46am while the full moon phase will occur at 2.09am next Monday. - Bernama