If you look at the clear sky of Rhodes this weekend (August 10 and 11), you will observe a spectacular meteor shower. This phenomenon known as Perseids (a Greek Mythological name) is visible each year, with the greatest activity between August 8 and 14. During the peak, the rate of meteors can reach 60 or more per hour.
The meteor shower is caused by dust particles and other debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle as it travels on its 130-year orbit. Most of the dust in the cloud today is around a thousand years old. In Catholic tradition the phenomenon is known as the tears of St. Lawrence.
The Perseids are primarily visible in the northern hemisphere. Their rate is greatest in the pre-dawn hours. To observe them gaze towards the Northeast part of the sky.
