Rain of shooting stars to celebrate tonight

On the night of Friday to Saturday, thousands of stars will enter the atmosphere. Sight visible to the naked eye, provided that you follow some rules.

A rain of stars in the sky to observe. From Friday to Saturday, it’s Perseids Night, when millions of shooting stars will cross our heavenly vault. The phenomenon, which occurs every year, occurs from July 17 through August 24, but tonight the show will be at its peak.

This huge number of stars comes from the debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle, which passes close to Earth every 133 years. Dust separates from it during its course in our galaxy.

And then these little bits that enter the atmosphere at a speed of 58 km/sec and that dissolve into bright colors like red, blue or green.

Super moon at the same time

This year, specialists expect from 50 to 60 visible stars per hour. Usually, during peak activity, up to 100 stars can be seen per hour. But tonight, the full moon will shine on the last super moon night of the year and may obscure the view of some stars.

He explains, “We should be content with the best, and reduce to ten an hour at the most.” Futura flag.

But don’t worry, the stars will be there, let Gilles Dawidowicz, Vice President of the Astronomical Society of France, tell our colleagues fromactu.fr.

“The moon may be a problem, but it won’t stay in view all night. If it causes a lot of light, feel free to position yourself so that it is hidden behind a tree, for example,” he said.

No need for binoculars

To make the most of this heavenly spectacle, it is advisable to watch the sky in the second part of the evening, from 1 am. No need for telescopes, stars are visible with the naked eye. NASA advises against its use due to the extremely limited field of view that the instrument provides.

The space city She advises “stay away from urban areas and light pollution from lighting,” she writes on her site. French Astronomy Society Lists in interactive map With the best lookouts in France during this starry night.

To see most of the stars, you have to look to the northeast, toward the constellation Perseus, where most of the debris crosses the Earth’s atmosphere.

Space City recommends above all else staying away from light sources of mobile phones. One of them explains on their website: “This will cause the pupils to shrink due to the brightness of the screen and then they will lose some brittles, it takes about 15 minutes to restore their night vision.”