The Perseids meteor shower will pass by next night. This often results in a spectacular spectacle. Due to the full moon, the conditions are not ideal this year. Astronomer Felix Bettonvil explains how you can still see shooting stars.
By Lennart ‘t HartWat is een vallende ster?
- Een vallende ster is eigenlijk geen ster. Het is een meteoor. Dat is een stukje rots dat in de dampkring van de aarde verbrandt. Wat je daarvan ziet, is een lichtstreepje in de lucht.
- De Perseïden zijn een wolk van gruis, achtergelaten door de komeet Swift-Tuttle.
To properly see shooting stars, we depend on a number of things. Most importantly: is it dark or not? Most Perseids pass in the night from Friday to Saturday. Unfortunately, the moon is very bright then. In addition, the fainter shining shooting stars dwarf.
The swarm comes every year around this time in August. Under good conditions, sixty to eighty shooting stars per hour can be seen at the peak. But the moon may not shine for that. It should also not be cloudy. At least there will be no clouds tonight. Despite the moonlight, you can still see about ten shooting stars per hour.
The best time to spot the meteors is between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. tonight. According to astronomer Bettonvil, it doesn’t matter which direction you look. Although it is smart to look at the darkest part of the sky. To do this, stand with your back to the moon. Also try to find a place with as little artificial light as possible.
Keep your eyes on the sky
You don’t necessarily have to stay up late into the night to see Perseids. Also tonight between 10 pm and 11 pm you already have a good chance of spotting a shooting star. Moreover, at that time the objects skim through the atmosphere. That means the meteors leave long trails.
The Perseids are one of the three great swarms that fly past the Earth every year. The Geminids arrive in mid-December. At the beginning of January it will be the turn of the Boötiden.
But you can also see shooting stars at other times, because there are plenty of meteors active. Every clear night you have a chance to spot one. If you just keep staring at the sky long and patiently enough. The Perseids can still be seen for the next few nights, but less and less every night.
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