As the Earth crosses the orbit of Comet Swift Tuttle, it is exposed to the Perseid meteor shower that occurs every year around this time.
That’s great news for all shooting star lovers. Because although you usually have to look forever for quite a while to see a meteor light up and extinguish, the chance is now much greater.
And it’s not about stars, but about space debris.
– It is everything from small grains of gravel up to the size of a football. But most of them are very small, and they come at a great distance. When they fall through the air and burn up, the air in front of them lights up. And then it looks like fast, clear streams in the sky, says Robert Cumming at the Onsala Space Observatory.
Look where it’s darker
He is aware that Gothenburg’s beautiful weather creates the perfect conditions for a wonderful night under the sky.
– I have a colleague who watched from a dark place outside the city yesterday and she counted almost 50 in two hours. So if you’re out somewhere where there isn’t too much light, there’s a good chance you’ll see shooting stars.
Does he work in the city too?
– It can, if you look in the direction where it is dark, or if you are lucky enough to see one of the brightest shooting stars.
When should you sit in the sunroom?
– It’s probably at its best when it’s really dark, ie close to the wee hours. Then maybe it will start to go down tomorrow, but you have a few days now to see them. And the weather is really good today.
Which way to look?
– Straight up is going well. In general, you should look where it is darker, it works best. You have to keep an eye on the whole sky, says Robert Cummins.
It can reach the ground
The risk of getting a meteorite – or meteor as they are called when they enter the Earth’s atmosphere – on your head is very small. But it happens that the biggest stones reach all the way down to the ground.
– It is not common that you manage to save meteorites from this particular meteor shower, but it has happened, says Cuimeanach.
On Monday night, it was actually GP readers who caught a glimpse of the celestial phenomenon – but even more managed to catch the northern lights. Check it all out in the slideshow below.
Can you catch a shooting star on camera? Send your best photos or videos to tipsa@gp.se
The clear weather not only made it possible to see shooting stars. Image: Alba Furst
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2024-08-12 22:51:54
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