Par
Sophie Vincelot
Published on
There are certain shows whose splendor never tires us. Especially when it is nature that reveals one of its most beautiful attractions: a starry sky. Since mid-July, a shoot of shooting stars crosses our earthly atmosphere. More specifically, these are the Perseids, meteors that fall every year during the summer.
Colorful, more or less large, sometimes followed by streaks, they can delight young and old. In the summer of 2024, during the intensity peak, there were between 70 and 110 shooting stars that fell each hour. A nice painting, which should be just as striking this year, even if the conditions are somewhat different.
Astronomy lovers will still be able to observe forty per hour « From August 10 to 14, 2025approximately ”, recently confirmed Karl Antier, president of the Meteorite, Meteors and Impacts Commission to the Astronomical Society of France (SAF), withactu.fr. The maximum of their visibility should be in the Night of August 12 to 13, at 6 a.m.recalls the city of space.
Où Observer Les Persons?
To optimize your chances, it is better to favor a preserved place of any light pollution. And what does it matter if the horizon is not very clear. The constellation of Perseus, from which seem to emanate the Perseids, is raised in the sky. It is therefore possible to observe them, even with a mountainous landscape.
Where do the Perseids come from?
The Perseids, sometimes called the “tears of Saint Laurent”, come from the comet 109p Swift-Tuttle. The latter passes near the earth every 133 years, and in its crazy race, is little by little, until you leave a cloud of dust and pebbles, which forms a ring around the sun.
Every year, between the end of July and mid-August, the earth passes near this stitch. These dust grains, the size of a grain of sand, then enter our atmosphere and are consumed: this is where a shooting star is formed.
Besides, there is no need to aim for perse. If the streaks of light seem to come from this point (the direction of the radiant is northeast), they can also be very distant. The position of the gaze is therefore not the essential, but the fact to have the most sky as possible.
In terms of observation places: Mountain areas often offer little -lit views (and therefore perfect for observation), just like regional natural parks, like those of Vercors or Cévennes. You also have to look at the communes labeled “Star Cities and Villages”, which can offer activities.
How to observe the shooting stars?
If you can add equipment from the perfect astronomer (a telescope or an astronomical telescope), it is also possible toObserve this phenomenon to the naked eye. You only have to let your eyes get used to the dark. Some reflexes are still to adopt: hide the moon, if possible, with a tree or a building, because it could prevent a good vision of the Perseids, and above all, to arm with patience.
Like any magnificence of nature, five minutes of observation are rarely enough. You have to take your time, and equip yourself accordingly (why not bring a little plaid, a deckchair and a good ration of coffee?). It is at the end of the night, around 3 or 4 in the morning, that the Perseids are often the most visible.
And if it is not possible to observe them at their peak of activity, do not worry. The spectacle of these luminous streaks continues Until early September.
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