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Russians to enjoy partial solar eclipse and Perseid meteor shower in August

In August people living in the Northern Hemisphere will enjoy two spectacular astronomical phenomena - a partial solar eclipse and a year’s most fascinating meteor shower, the Perseids

MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/. People living in the Northern Hemisphere, including in northeastern Russia, will be able to enjoy two spectacular astronomical phenomena - a partial solar eclipse and a year’s most fascinating meteor shower, the Perseids, the Moscow Planetarium said on Monday.

"A partial solar eclipse will occur on August 11, 2018. It will be observed in Russia’s northern and eastern regions. Overnight from August 12 to 13, sky watchers will enjoy the year’s most spectacular meteor shower! The Perseids will peak on that night," it said.

According to astronomers, maximum eclipse will happen at 12:46 Moscow time and will be best seen the Wrangel Island.

The Perseid meteor shower, to peak on August 12 to 13, with up to 100 meteors seen per hour, takes this name from the constellation of Perseus, where meteors appear to fall from.

The Perseids originate from the Swift-Tuttle Comet that was discovered in 1862 independently by Lewis Swift (July 16) and Horace Tuttle (July 19). Its rotation period around the Sun is 133 years. The comet is to approach the Earth to the closest distance of 0.15 astronomical units (about 23 million kilometres) in 2126.