A significant decrease in the Perseid meteor shower visibility in Jordan's skies tonight.

2025-08-12 2025-08-12T09:44:09Z

Arab Weather - The head of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, Ammar Al-Sakaji, revealed on Tuesday that the Perseid meteor shower will be significantly less visible in Jordan's skies tonight.

Al-Sakaji said that the current period is witnessing a near-full moon in the sky, which extends throughout the night, making it difficult to see these meteors in large quantities.

He added that the association was observing 80-100 meteors per hour during this season, under standard astronomical conditions, such as when the moon was not in its full phase.

He explained that Jordan is also experiencing a period of high temperatures, coupled with thick dust in the sky and horizon, which greatly reduces the likelihood of seeing meteors.

14-day weather in Amman, Jordan

About the Perseid meteor shower

Al-Sakaji pointed out that the Perseid meteor shower season extends from July 17 to August 24, while its peak occurs on the night of August 12 and 13.

The Perseid meteor shower originates from Comet Swift-Tuttle. Astronomers have discovered that the comet leaves a river of dust around the sun as it approaches it approximately every 130 years. Earth also passes through this dust stream on August 13 of each year, which is why meteors appear most abundantly during this period.

Meteors are formed when dust particles enter the Earth's atmosphere at very high speeds, reaching an average of 70 kilometers per second. Their friction with the atmosphere produces intense heat, causing them to glow and appear as bright fireballs for a brief period of time, then disappear.

Meteors begin to burn at an altitude of 120 kilometers above the Earth's surface, then turn to ash at an altitude of 60 kilometers. Therefore, they rarely reach the Earth's surface, and if they do, they are only tiny particles that no one notices.