Raise your eyes to the sky this evening: a rain of shooting stars is announced on the night of July 29 to 30. Up to 20 per hour! A spectacle not to be missed.
A rain of shooting stars will cross the sky during the night of Wednesday July 29 to Thursday July 30. The Southern Delta Aquarids and Alpha Capricornids reach their peak tonight.
As soon as night falls, you have to look in the direction of the constellation Aquarius to take full eyes. This is where the shooting stars come from – between 15 and 20 per hour. The Southern Delta Aquarids are observable between July 12 and August 23. The origin of this meteorite swarm goes back to rupture of a comet that gave birth to the current comets Marsden and Kracht. They are best seen before dawn around 5 a.m.
South Delta Aquarids and Alpha Capricornids
On the night of July 30 to 31, it is the turn of the Alpha Capricornides to offer their festival of lights. They will be fewer, about five per hour. Active from July 3 to mid-August, this meteorite swarm takes its name from the constellation Capricorn which it is close to. We must therefore be more patient. More flamboyant than the Delta Aquarids, these shooting stars offer a brilliant spectacle.
To fully enjoy the celestial vault, it is useful to move away from any light pollution, therefore from cities. No need to keep your headlamp or flashlight on. You have to get your eyes used to the darkness and scan the horizon. Choose a summit or a place with a very clear view to give yourself maximum chances.
Apps for observing the sky
Some applications allow you to better observe shooting stars: Sky map, Star Walk 2, Night Sky, Solar Walk, Star map … You discover the sky as it is in front of you in the wavelength of your choice (visible, infrared, X-ray). Other apps allow you to know the next passage of the International Space Station (ISS) …
The site Languedoc weather has published a special forecast for tonight in order to know what time the observing conditions will be the best.
Hérault : clear sky until the middle of the night, then sea entrances may form along the coast, the sky will temporarily veil inland.
Gard and Lozère : ideal conditions until the end of the night then low clouds will reach the Gard coast and the sky will cloud around 4 or 5 in the morning.
Pyrénées-Orientales and Aude : It is also at the beginning of the evening that the conditions will be the best to observe the sky. Clouds coming from the coast will gain land during the night.
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