2023-08-11 15:15:21
As every year at this time, stargazers can expect a spectacle in the night sky: the meteor swarm of the “Perseids” is approaching. Looking east after midnight, the naked eye could see a few dozen shooting stars light up in the sky every hour. According to the Association of Star Friends (VdS), there are particularly favorable conditions for observation this year. Our satellite is just before the new moon and appears only as a narrow crescent. This means that its light does not disturb the view of the dying cosmic dust particles.
The Perseids reach their peak at the weekend. According to the VdS, the most shooting stars are to be expected on the nights from 12 (Saturday) to 13 (Sunday) August and from Sunday to Monday. However, according to the German Weather Service (DWD), changeable weather could limit visibility.
The summer shooting stars got their name from the constellation Perseus because they seem to come from this direction. In fact, the meteors come from the immediate vicinity of the earth. On its orbit around the sun, our planet crosses the orbit of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle every year between mid-July and late August. In doing so, he encounters the cosmic trail of dust left behind by the “sweeping star”, which returns every 130 years.
You don’t need more than a comfortable deck chair
The particles, which are often only the size of a pinhead, penetrate the earth’s atmosphere at an average speed of 200,000 kilometers per hour. At an altitude of 80 to 100 kilometers, they collide with the air molecules, which then begin to glow. So the shooting stars are not the burning dust particles themselves, but the glow of the ionized air molecules. Meteors generally do not reach the surface of the earth.
Star map of the night sky, the Perseids are drawn in, which will be observed in large numbers in the firmament at the weekend. : Image: Union of Star Friends
According to a written tradition, the Perseids were first observed in China about two millennia ago. After that, there were reports from Japan and Korea. In Europe, the first known observation of the meteor swarm dates back to the year 811. You do not need any special equipment to observe the Perseids – a deck chair and a good all-round view, if possible without artificial lighting, are sufficient. If you have the opportunity, you should go to an unlit area away from the city. Binoculars or telescopes tend to be a hindrance when tracking down the rapidly burning meteors. If you want to photograph the sky spectacle, you should use a camera with a wide-angle lens, mount the camera on a tripod and choose a long exposure.
Stars that are preening
Incidentally, the August meteors are popularly called “Laurentius tears”. The name commemorates Saint Laurentius, who was martyred on August 10, 258 under the rule of the Roman Emperor Valerian. Since then, according to legend, fiery tears are said to have rained down from the sky that day.
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The burned-off end of the candle wick used to be called the snuff. It had to be carefully cut off – cleaned – if the candle didn’t soot. The word has survived in the idiom “I don’t give a damn” – and also in the shooting stars. According to old folk belief, they fall from the sky when the stars clean themselves.
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