Meteor shower wows UAE stargazers

Stargazers in the UAE were not left disappointed in the early hours of Saturday morning, as the annual Perseid meteor shower lit up the desert's night sky.
One Khaleej Times reader, RK, said that between 2.15am and 2.40am, "about 15 shooting stars" left her and her daughter in awe.
The mother and daughter duo, along with some friends, headed out to the lakes at Al Qudra to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower.
Pipped as being the largest meteor shower to hit this year, she said she wanted to watch the fireballs pass by in all their glory, away from the city's lights.
"Although there was no official public gathering like there usually is, several families were there at Al Qudra when we arrived. They had the same idea as us."
Congregating at the lakes at 12am, she said it took a few hours for things to get going. But when it did, it was worth the wait.
"People arrived well before time but when each shooting star went past, there was a lot of excitement."
Describing the weather as "surprisingly pleasant and not hot and sultry", the large groups of families and friends were all set to snap away, each with their cameras at the ready.
Earlier, Hassan Al Hariri, head of Dubai Astronomy Group, said there would be up to 100 meteors per hour during Perseid, with each entering the atmosphere at a speed between 12 to 72 kilometres per hour.
A nice change from a typical Friday evening/Saturday morning routine, RK said the atmosphere was a pleasant one.
"Food was being passed around, people were playing games, but one noticeable thing was that children were not there. Maybe that was because of the late timing.
Around 3am, she said people started to head home, but each with a smile on their face almost as bright as the stars themselves. - reporters@khaleejtimes.com