Malaysians have the opportunity to witness the Perseid meteor showers and ‘supermoon’ phenomenon next Monday to Wednesday.

National Space Agency (Angkasa) in a statement today said on the second week of August, the biggest and clearest full moon for this year will occur simultaneously with the perseid meteor showers that will give a spectacular sight in the sky.  

Perseid meteor showers occur when the Swift Tuttle comet passes through the solar system every 133 years and leaves behind a dust trail.

According to the statement, the best time to witness the occurrence is after mid-night until dawn in the north-east direction.

The showers can produce many fireballs that have similar brightness like the planets, Jupiter or Venus.

When the sky is dark or free from moonlight, the observer normally can witness more than 100 meteors per hour.

The statement added that the ‘supermoon’ phenomenon would occur when the moon is at the nearest position to the earth, at 14 percent nearer and 30 percent clearer compared to other nights.

The moon will be at a distance of 356,896km at 1.46am while the full moon phase will occur at 2.09am next Monday.

- Bernama