The Perseid meteor shower is expected to peak on Monday evening.

It promises to be an especially bright and starry night… The Perseids meteor shower, which can be seen this year from July 17 to August 24, is supposed to stream en masse across the sky during the night from Monday to Tuesday. Up to a hundred meteors can light up the night sky during these peaks, which occur almost annually on the same date, the night of August 12 to 13. This is the most spectacular and popular meteor shower of the year, as it occurs during the Northern Hemisphere summer.

“Meteorites come from comet particles and broken asteroid pieces.”NASA notes that the ones we might see this summer are meteors from the debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle. “When comets orbit the sun, they leave behind a trail of dust.” The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration explains: A page dedicated to Barshawiat.

When the air in front of this debris is compressed, it generates heat and causes the fragments to burn. “Every year, Earth passes through these debris trails, allowing pieces to collide with our atmosphere and break apart to create fiery, colorful trails in the sky.” NASA reports: Comet Swift-Tuttle's orbit around the sun takes 133 years.

Improve your chances of seeing meteors.

The debris ranges in size from a grain of sand to a pea, and moves at about 59 kilometers per second. The meteor shower occurs every year at the same time and from the same part of the sky. Their radiant, or the celestial point from which the Perseids appear to come, is the constellation Perseus, which gives the phenomenon its name.

That's why Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, advises readers: From the British daily newspaper The Guardian To watch the meteors towards the east. “Perseus rises in the northeast as the sun sets, so it's best to look east.”The astronomer adds, emphasizing that peripheral vision is more receptive to low-light conditions than central vision.

Ed Bloomer advises anyone who wants to observe this celestial spectacle to go out at night in a dark area, or at least stay away from city lights. While he thinks it might be fun to observe the Perseids with other people, he notes that their very subtle appearance makes it a more personal experience. “You might be lucky enough to see a fireball, which is debris the size of your fist going through the atmosphere, which can last five to 10 seconds. You can even see it disintegrate, which is pretty special.”Even if, says Ed Blumer, “In most cases these are small flashes.”.