BAHRAIN stargazers were treated to a galactic display as shooting stars lit up the sky last night.
The annual Geminid meteor shower peaked in the early hours of this morning when Earth passed through the tail of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
Small rocks breaking away from the asteroid burns up in the atmosphere making for an out-of-this-world visual event.
The name Geminid comes from the Gemini constellation where the meteor shower appears to originate in the sky.
Bahrain’s top astronomer Dr Waheeb Al Nasser said a team headed out to Hawar Islands to capture the stellar display and stayed until early this morning.
“We chose Hawar Islands for the first time this year to capture this annual event because it is the location in Bahrain with the least light pollution,” said Bahrain Astronomical Society astro-photgrapher Ali Namdar, who is heading the team.
“I always register and photograph meteor showers and this is the strongest meteor shower witnessed across the globe every year.
“Last year Nasa registered around 200 meteors per hour, but in Bahrain we have seen around five to 15 meteors per hour in areas like Nuranah Island and Bilaj Al Jazayer.
“Not all meteors are visible and because of light pollution they can’t all be seen. However, in really dark locations they are clearer.”
The shower that started at 11pm, was expected to peak at 2am and continue until 5am prior to sunrise.
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