Little light, without cloud: how to observe the fleeting stars during the period of perseiders?

A show that is offered to the greatest amount of patient after dusk. As every year, between the end of July and mid-August, heaven will light thanks to the persistes, the rains of the fleeting stars in relation to the passage of the Swift-Tuttle comet.

At this time, the earth is going through thousands of kilometers per hour, a huge cloud of dust left by the kite. Starsing Stars, that our planet will be on its way. “The solar winds and heat will melt them and leave matter in their path,” said Sébastien Bouold, scientific mediator.

But to better observe these light stripes in the sky, several conditions must be taken into account before lengthening, the look turned to the night.

• A dark night without light pollution

The first parameter observed to make the most of the passage of fleeting stars is to be in a conducive place. Exit, therefore, cities where public lighting comes to contaminate the sky and hide most of the details of the stars.

Most of the most recognized places to observe the stars are in the southern half of France. This is particularly the case of Quercy’s black triangle, in the lot.

Since May 2021, the Causseses Du Quercy Regional Park has even been classified “territory of starry peoples and peoples”. As of this Friday, July 25 at night, then, at night, the first activities are available on the site to discover the stars in Montredon.

• A propitious sky configuration

The moon and its lighting pose another problem for lovers of the discoveries of heaven. “To observe the Perseids, you always need to know if there is the moon in the sky or not. The moon is very brilliant, it will allow you to see only the brightest meteors,” said Franck Selsis, a CNRS researcher in the Border Astrophysics Laboratory, at BFMTV.com.

“Then, when the moon is in the sky, we see much less fleeting stars,” he continues.

Many prefer to observe the stars in the second part of the night after sunset.

• The peak in mid -August

If the phenomenon of the Perseids has already begun, in fact, everyone is waiting for their peak, generally planned around August 12.

“The best years, we can see up to 150-200 per hour! We can take wishes for the whole year,” Sébastien Bouulard laughs at the BFMTV microphone.

Several dozen threaded meteors will be visible during this period in the sky per hour.

A map brings together all the events related to the Perseids in the territory, from Pas-de-Calais to the Pyrenees. Most will begin from August 1.