JEDDAH — The total solar eclipse occurring on Wednesday will not be visible from Saudi Arabia; however, the Perseid meteor shower will be visible that night through dawn on Thursday.
Jeddah Astronomy Society head Majed Abu Zahra said the total solar eclipse will be visible from parts of Russia, Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain and Portugal, with the maximum period of totality lasting approximately two minutes and 18 seconds.
The eclipse will begin globally at 15:34 GMT, with totality starting at 16:58 GMT and reaching its peak at 17:46 GMT. Totality will end at 18:34 GMT, while the partial eclipse will conclude globally at 19:57 GMT.
Abu Zahra stressed that the total eclipse will not be visible from Saudi Arabia or in totality from any Arab country.
However, a partial eclipse will be visible from parts of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya, as well as other areas of northern and western Africa.
Meanwhile, the Perseid meteor shower, one of the brightest annual meteor showers, will peak on the night of August 12 through dawn on August 13, according to the Saudi Space Agency.
The best viewing time in Saudi Arabia will be from 1 a.m. until sunrise, with between 75 and 100 meteors per hour expected under ideal dark-sky conditions.
The Perseids are known for producing exceptionally bright fireballs and are caused by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle.
The meteor shower takes its name from its radiant point, which appears to emerge from the constellation Perseus.
Source: Saudi Gazette