A rain of shooting stars in the sky to observe. From Friday to Saturday is the night of the Perseids, where millions of shooting stars will cross our celestial vault. This phenomenon, which occurs every year, takes place from July 17 to August 24, but it is tonight that the show will be at its peak.
This myriad of stars comes from the remains of Comet Swift-Tuttle, which passes close to Earth every 133 years. Dust breaks off of it during its course in our galaxy.
And it is then these small pieces that enter the atmosphere at a speed of 58 km / s and decompose forming bright colors such as red, blue or green.
A Super-Moon at the same time
This year, specialists predict between 50 and 60 visible stars per hour. Typically, during peak activity, up to 100 stars per hour can be seen. But tonight, the Full Moon will shine on its last Supermoon night of the year and may outshine the sight of some stars.
“We will have to content ourselves with the brightest ones, reduced to ten per hour at most,” he explains. future science.
But don’t worry, the stars will be there, let Gilles Dawidowicz, vice president of the French astronomical society, tell our colleagues at actu.fr.
“The moon could possibly be problematic, but it won’t stay in the field of view all night. If it’s ever giving off too much light, feel free to position yourself so it’s hidden behind a tree, for example.” he said.
No telescope needed
To make the most of this celestial spectacle, it is advisable to observe the sky in the second part of the afternoon, starting at 1 am. There is no need for telescopes, the stars are visible to the naked eye. NASA even advises against its use due to the very limited field of view that the instrument offers.
Space City advises “staying away from built-up areas and light pollution generated by lighting,” it writes on its site. The French astronomy association lists on an interactive map the best observation points in France during this starry night.
To see the most stars, you need to look northeast, toward the constellation Perseus, where most of the debris passes through Earth’s atmosphere.
The city of space recommends above all to stay away from the light sources of mobile phones. “This will make your pupils constrict from the brightness of the screen and then you will lose some Perseids, it takes about 15 minutes to get your night vision back,” explains one on his website.
Source: BFM TV
