Midsummer Meteors: How To Spot The Perseid Meteor Shower

A spacial spectacle: nan Perseid meteor shower, considered by galore (including NASA) to beryllium nan champion meteor ablution of nan year, is now underway and will beryllium visible until mid-August successful nan bluish hemisphere, including astir of Europe. The meteor shower, known successful Spain arsenic Las Lágrimas de San Lorenzo, aliases Saint Lawrence’s Tears, will beryllium visible successful Spain chiefly astir nan nights of August 11 and 12, wherever nan highest activity will beryllium expected connected nan nighttime of August 12.

What clip will nan ablution begin?

The champion times to spot nan meteors will beryllium location betwixt 12:00 midnight and 5:30 successful nan morning. In Spain successful particular, highest activity will autumn connected a nighttime pinch a afloat moon, truthful to summation chances of seeing nan shooting stars, it’s champion to look retired for them aft nan satellite has somewhat fallen, astir 3:00 AM. Stargazers should besides return a look astatine nan upwind earlier trying to spell spot nan meteors, arsenic they’re champion seen successful a cloudless sky.

Where should I spell to watch nan meteors?

It’s besides recommended to effort to spell to a spot pinch minimal ray contamination aliases obstructions, specified arsenic trees aliases gangly buildings. A acheronian location distant from metropolis lights would beryllium ideal, and stargazers are advised to look astatine nan darkest portion of nan sky. No typical instrumentality is needed to spot nan shooting stars, either; conscionable fto your eyes set and witnesser nan magic. The days starring up to nan highest activity days are usually amended than those that follow, truthful it’s champion to spell adjacent aliases connected August 12 for champion results.

A midsummer meteor miracle

The mysterious meteor ablution is really an yearly arena caused by nan Earth moving done nan Swift-Tuttle comet’s debris trail, and has go a marker of midsummer for stargazers. The “shooting star” illusion is caused by burning pieces of nan comet, entering Earth’s ambiance astatine precocious velocities. The meteor ablution is named Perseid, aft Perseus, a constellation from which nan meteors look to travel retired – called a “radiant”. In Spain, arsenic nan ablution falls adjacent to Saint Lawrence’s Patron Saint Day, it has been nicknamed aft him.