A Nasa picture of a meteor shower

Celestial fireworks will light up the sky this weekend.

Dozens of meteors, which were once part of comet Swift-Tuttle, will blaze a trail on Sunday night, monsoon clouds permitting. The glowing rocks will shoot through the sky on Saturday as well, but not in as large numbers.

Around this time every year, the earth in its journey round the sun passes through a trail of debris left by the comet. Friction with the earth’s atmosphere makes the rocks incandescent and visible to the naked eye at night. In astronomical terms, the phenomenon is known as Perseid meteor shower.

The number of meteors will be higher than those in the past couple of years, says Debiprosad Duari, the director (research and academics) of MP Birla Planetarium. “As the night progresses, the number of meteors is expected to increase. There could be as many as hundred per hour.”

The comet’s debris will hit the earth’s atmosphere at 60 km per second. According to scientists, even a speck of dust will make a vivid streak of light at such speed. The meteors are expected to be faster compared with the previous years.

The atmospheric conditions favour sky-gazers. “The moon will not play spoilsport. There is absolutely no danger in watching a meteor shower with the naked eye,” assures Duari.