The Perseid Meteor Shower (or, popularly, Tears of Saint Lawrence) decorates our summer skies every year. This celestial show has been visible since July 17 and will last until August 24, but the peak for observation will take place between the nights of August 12 and 13. On both days we will have even more chances to see the meteors gliding brightly and quickly through our night sky.
The Perseid meteors come from the remnants of Comet 109P / Swift-Tuttle during its journey through the inner solar system. The name Perseids is due to its radiant, in this case, the constellation Perseus (founder of Mycenae and the hero who killed Medusa). Radiant is the astronomical term that defines the part of the night sky from which these meteors appear to fall.
The constellation Perseus is found in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere and appears near the constellation Andromeda.
Will this be a good year to see the Perseids?
It is fabulous . The crescent moon will set at dusk, providing dark skies, a highly appreciated quality to be able to contemplate this meteor shower in all its splendor. The number of meteors will gradually increase as we enter the month of August, from late at night until dawn the show is also assured.
It is an intense and constant meteor shower that, according to NASA, could offer us between 50 and 100 meteors every hour (with an average of 40 Perseids per hour), especially if we are in conditions of good visibility, low presence of clouds and little light pollution. Sky watchers in cities may only see a few every hour.
Meteors will appear everywhere in the sky. The Perseids tend to increase in number as the night progresses until midnight. And the largest number of meteors usually occur in the first hours before sunrise, but if you position yourself in Spain after eleven at night, we are sure that you will be able to appreciate them quite well. And, although the Perseids can be seen from both hemispheres, it is in the northern hemisphere where they are easiest to contemplate.
Remember that everything good is made to wait . Meteors are part of nature. There is no way to predict exactly how many you will see on any given night. It will take up to 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness of the night, so give yourself enough hours to enjoy this astronomical process. Turn off your mobile and any bright lights you can avoid. Find a good place to lie down or recline in a chair and wait. The Perseids will appear as fast little lines of light. Look up and enjoy the show!
Online broadcasts
If, for whatever reason, you cannot move to a dark place or from your terrace or balcony you cannot contemplate them, NASA (organized by the Meteoroids Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center) will conduct a broadcast from their social networks during the night of August 11-12 (10 pm-5am CDT; 3-10am UTC) on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
