- Star-studded rain: Map showing how clear the night sky is near you
Mid-summer is meteor shower season: Around mid-August, thanks to the legendary Perseid shower, countless meteors are visible to the naked eye in the night sky. This year, the meteor shower will be best observed in the early morning hours of Monday and the night of Tuesday the following week. With clear skies, observers can expect to see a meteor streak across the sky every two minutes.
Meteor shower for night owls and early birds
The first Perseids appear in the sky as early as late July. Their numbers increase before reaching their peak on the coming Monday afternoon - precisely when it's daylight in Germany. However, according to the Association of Star Friends and the House of Astronomy in Heidelberg, 20 to 30 meteors per hour will still be visible in the nights around the peak, from Sunday to Monday and Monday to Tuesday.
Map: How clear is the night sky where you are
Trail to the constellation Perseus
For meteor enthusiasts, the August meteors mark a fixed date in the astronomical calendar. The Perseids are the only major meteor shower in summer and one of the most prolific. They are named after the constellation Perseus, from which they appear to emanate - astronomers refer to this point of origin as the radiant.
Meteors are made of comet dust
In reality, meteors come from Earth's immediate vicinity. Each year between mid-July and late August, our planet crosses a cloud of tiny particles left behind by the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which returns every 133 years.
When Earth encounters the cosmic dust trail of this comet, the often pinhead-sized particles of comet dust enter Earth's atmosphere at 60 kilometers per second - that's 216,000 kilometers per hour. At an altitude of 80 to 100 kilometers, these small dust particles create the light phenomena we call meteors. In fact, it's not the particles themselves that glow, but the air around them, which is heated by friction.
Larger meteors can shine as brightly as bright stars and planets. Even brighter, but also much rarer, are the so-called fireballs, which often leave a colorful, glowing trail behind them.
No special equipment needed
No special equipment is needed to observe the Perseids - a comfortable chair or sleeping mat and a good view of the surroundings are sufficient. Binoculars or telescopes are even hindrances for spotting the quickly burning meteors, as their field of view is too small for the swift sky-crossers.
The best viewing opportunities are at a location far from light-polluted cities. Those who want to photograph the meteor shower should use a wide-angle lens, mount the camera on a tripod, and choose a long exposure.
The enchanting sight of a shooting star can be witnessed during the Perseid meteor shower, where numerous meteors appear in the night sky. As you eagerly await the peak of the shower on Monday, keep your eyes peeled for these shooting stars, as they're actually tiny particles of comet dust entering Earth's atmosphere.
