This weekend the best meteor shower in a decade will light up the skies, with parts of the display featuring debris from a comet that passed us 1000 years ago.
The annual Perseid meteor shower typically peaks in August and is due to pass our skies early Saturday and Sunday morning.
This year experts have predicted there will be a special "outburst" which means viewers will get more than the usual showing, with the best places experiencing up to 200 meteors per hour.
Watchers in Queensland will not have as good a display as those in the northern hemisphere, but keen watchers warm clothes and patience will be rewarded. There is no need for binoculars or anything other than the naked eye as the meteors are arriving over a reasonably large area of the sky.
The Perseids occur each year when Earth's rotation intersects with the trail of the Comet Swif-Tuttle. The reason for this year's extra showing is because as comets deposit particles when they go around the sun, and over time, the gravitational influence of Jupiter and other giant planets (but mainly Jupiter) changes the particle orbits, and as a result, their close approach distances to Earth will vary.
So if you're keen the best time to see them will be after 1:30am Saturday and after 2:30am Sunday. Being west away from the light pollution will help also.
Chinchilla has some fabulous viewing spots and is certainly away from light pollution, so come and stay with us this weekend to watch this amazing light show. Call us now to book or click here to book online.