The Perseids, the year’s biggest meteor shower, will light up the sky tonight just hours after the solar eclipse.
Each year, from late July to late August, Earth passes through a stream of dust left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet was discovered independently by two astronomers in the nineteenth century.
These tiny fragments date back to the birth of the Solar System 4.5 billion years ago. As they enter Earth’s atmosphere at more than 50 kilometres per second, friction causes them to burn up and leave bright trails across the sky.
The shower is named after the constellation Perseus, from which the meteors appear to emerge. “They are always small collisions,” said Francis Meeus from the Mira public observatory in Flemish Brabant.
The Perseids are visible from about 20 July to 25 August, with the peak usually falling between 11 and 15 August. The most active night is expected to be from 12 to 13 August, between 02:00 and 05:00.
This year’s conditions are especially favourable. The new moon falls on 12 August, after the Moon passes in front of the Sun early in the evening, meaning there will be no moonlight to hide the fainter meteors.
Mira will open its doors from 22:00 to 01:00 at Abdijstraat 22 in Grimbergen, with admission costing four euros. Meeus advised people to continue watching elsewhere afterwards, as the second half of the night offers the best viewing.
The Euro Space Center in Redu, in Wallonia, will host its Night of the Stars on Thursday from 16:30 to 03:00, with free entry and no reservation required. The programme includes children’s workshops, a planetarium show and three lectures.
Saturn and its rings will also be visible through telescopes from midnight.
