Meteors put on show at Ephesus

İZMİR

The Perseid meteor shower, one of the most important celestial events, was observed in the ancient city of Ephesus. AA photo

The ancient city of Ephesus played host to a rare celestial event on the night of Aug. 12 and 13 thanks to the Perseid meteor shower.

Every summer about this time of year, the Earth passes through the orbital path of the Swift-Tuttle comet, according to the science.time website. But bits and pieces that have broken off from the tail of the comet collide with the Earth’s atmosphere, creating one of the most reliable and spectacular star shows of the year.

The Perseid meteor shower is named so because the meteors, as they streak across the sky, seem to originate from the constellation Perseus.

The meteor shower was observed in the ancient city of Ephesus in the Aegean province of İzmir. The Perseid meteor shower has also been called one of the most important celestial events of the year by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK).

The Perseid meteor shower has been observed for some 2,000 years. This year the shower was intense, with 100 separate shooting stars and cosmic matter seen to shoot across the night sky.