DOHA: Qatar Calendar House (QCH) has affirmed that residents of the Northern Hemisphere, including those in Qatar, are set to see the celestial phenomenon, the Delta Draconid meteor shower, this year. QCH added that the phenomenon will reach its peak on Monday evening, July 29 extending until the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Astronomical expert at QCH, Dr Bashir Marzouk, stated that the Delta Draconid meteor shower becomes active on a yearly basis throughout the period extending from mid-July until August 23 each year, and reaches its peak on July 29 and 30.
He highlighted that the rate of its fall in the sky at its peak will reach 20 meteors per hour, according to estimates by astronomers who are familiar with sighting meteors.
What distinguishes meteor shower is that sighting it only requires a location away from environmental and light pollution. Therefore, residents of Qatar will be able to observe the shower without resorting to astronomical devices or telescopes, Marzouk emphasized.
He pointed out that people can see this celestial activity with the naked eye from the evening of Monday until the dawn of Tuesday, the best times of sighting by looking toward the southeastern horizon of the sky from midnight until the dawn of the following day.
Marzouk added that cutting-edge digital cameras can be used to have images of these meteors, by taking into account the increased exposure time while photographing to receive distinctive images.