Every year you can see it in the sky: the Perseid meteor shower. Now it’s almost that time again. But if you want to see it, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Shooting stars have fascinated mankind for centuries – but not everyone manages to catch a glimpse of them. The Hamburg Planetarium gives tips on when the probability of seeing shooting stars is particularly high.
“At the end of July, the onslaught of cosmic dust particles on our Earth’s atmosphere gradually increases before reaching its peak on August 12,” explains Björn Voss, director of the Hamburg Planetarium on its website. “At their peak, the Perseids give us up to 100 shooting stars per hour. At 60 kilometers per second, they are also particularly fast.”
However, if you want to watch the spectacle in the sky, you should not try to do so in the middle of the city. It is too bright there. Dark places in the rural surroundings are particularly suitable for looking up into the sky – for example in the Haseldorfer Marsch in the Pinneberg district. A trip to the North Sea can also be worthwhile. The island of Spiekeroog is considered to be one of the darkest places.
Early risers also have a decisive advantage. “The best time to observe is just before dawn,” Voss is quoted as saying on the planetarium website. “In any case, we should wait until the crescent moon has sunk below the horizon around midnight and its glow no longer illuminates the sky.”
Not only can the Perseid meteor shower offer a beautiful sight in summer, the Milky Way is also more clearly visible in the sky in August.
