On August 12, the Perseid Islands again passed the land. With a clear view and far away from the cities, the scene should be visible to the naked eye.
The basics in brief
- Every year in the first half of August, the Perseid Islands pass close to the land.
- The stars are best seen on August 12 and 13.
- The best way to see the scenery is to get away from the cities.
Midsummer is the time for the stars: As every year in August, the legendary Persian Squadron counts as countless shooting stars these days. They can be seen without any visual aids. The peak of the meteor shower is expected on August 12, but it’s really worth taking a look at the night sky – if the current rainy summer weather permits.
By the way, the August meteors are known as Laurenti’s tears. The name reminds of Saint Lawrence who died a martyr on August 10, 258 under the Roman Emperor Valerian. Since then, according to legend, fiery tears rained that day.
Even on the nights before Perseid’s maximum on Thursday, many of these summer meteors can already be seen in the night sky. The prerequisite is a cloudless sky.
Perseids come in large numbers
Night owls or early risers should be able to catch a glimpse of one of the summer’s fallen stars or the other when there are gaps in the clouds. Some observers will give the falling star, which burns in seconds, a secret wish to take with you. According to the old custom.
At the time of maximum Perseid In the ideal case, up to a hundred falling stars could shine in the sky every hour. However, only with unusually good control conditions. Inexperienced observers are unlikely to see so many meteors. The best time to observe during the Perseid period is between late evening and early morning.
August meteors have long had a fixed date in the astronomical annual calendar for lovers of falling stars: Perseids are the only large meteor showers of summer and one of the most productive of all. The stars that fall in summer take their name from the constellation Perseus. There is the obvious starting point for the Perseids, the so-called radiation.
However, in truth, falling stars come from the immediate vicinity of the Earth: from his body Bahn Our planet passes one planet around the sun every year between mid-July and the end of August cloud of small particles. Comet 109P/Swift-Shuttle on his Bahn About our central star.
No equipment needed
Skygazers do not need special equipment to monitor Perseids. A deck chair or sleeping mat and a good all-round view is sufficient. binoculars Or even telescopes It’s even a snag when tracking down meteors that burn up in a matter of seconds. Because the field of view of such instruments is too small for agile sky cruisers.
The best observation possibilities are offered by a place away from cities flooded with artificial light. If you want to photograph the meteor shower, you should use a wide angle lens, mount the camera on a tripod and choose a long exposure.
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