The chances of spotting several shooting stars in Belgium will be higher than usual from the end of this week, with the arrival of the Perseids meteor swarm. In darker places, people can expect to spot up to 65 shooting stars.
So far this year, the number of shooting stars per hour has been disappointing. However, with the arrival of the annual Perseid swarm – a cloud of dust particles which Earth passes through every year – this will change.
Many of these dust particles collide with Earth's atmosphere, causing a streak of light in the sky briefly. This phenomenon is a shooting star or meteor. The activity of the Perseids started to rise sharply on Sunday 4 August. The prime time to observe shooting stars is on Tuesday 13 August at around 04:00, the peak of the Perseids shower.
No telescope or binoculars are needed: it is enough to spend 15 minutes looking with the naked eye at any place in the sky, preferably in a dark environment, such as in the countryside where there is little light pollution.
"In a dark place at 04:00, 40 to 55 shooting stars from the Perseids may be visible," said Rico Schröder, Meteorologist at Meteovist. "Adding sightings from other swarms and meteors, up to 65 shooting stars may be visible in dark and clear skies."
Dark space, no clouds
Many shooting stars will also be visible at this time on the days before and after Tuesday. "For instance, some 22 shooting stars in total may be visible as early as 10 August, but also on 16 August," Meteovista noted.
In an urban environment (with a lot of light pollution), the visible number of stars will be a lot lower, while cloud cover can also affect the number of shooting visible stars. In the centre of the country, Monday night is expected to be clear, which could make it the best viewing moment around Brussels.
On all days between 9 and 17 August, people hoping to spot a shooting star should look in an east to north-east direction.
In the run-up to the peak night, the Urania observatory in Hove is organising a special nocturne about the Perseids on Saturday 10 August, during which a lecture will be held on the Perseid swarm by chair Marc Gyssens, followed by two planetarium screenings (one for children and one for adults). If the weather is clear, the Moon and Perseids will be observed through the telescopes.
Astronomy enthusiasts can also turn their gaze skyward for the sightings at the Euro Space Centre in Transinne, Wallonia. During its 2024 Night of Stars event on Thursday 8 August, visitors will have ample opportunities to observe the shooting stars.
