It sometimes rains on Exmoor, but on 12 August, the evening showers were of the Perseid Meteor variety. Seb Jay of Dark Sky Telescope Hire and author of Exmoor Dark Skies wowed guests staying in the self catering cottages at West Withy Farm with sights from a blazing evening display. He explained the bright flashes of light that streak across the sky are from the constellation of Perseus. What you are seeing, Seb explained, is the flaming debris of tiny comet pieces as they heat up and burn up on entering earth’s atmosphere.
The Perseid Meteor shower is the most famous of several meteor showers visible from Exmoor during the year.
A list of dates has been published on the website for key star gazing events on Exmoor in 2016.