Hundreds of meteors visible on Wednesday as Earth passes through space debris

The peak of the storm will come hours after the eclipseNeil Shaw Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)09:34, 11 Aug 2026Updated 09:34, 11 Aug 2026Hundreds of shooting stars will be visible in the skies over Scotland this week as the peak of a meteor shower coincides with the country's first major eclipse in decades. The annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak on Wednesday night as the Earth passes through a trail of debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet.‌Specks as small as a grain of dust or rice flare up under the pressure of the planet’s atmosphere to create shooting stars, according to Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer Dr Ed Bloomer. Around 150 meteors will cross the sky every hour with some visible in areas that are flat and dark.‌Dr Bloomer recommended stargazers wait half an