On the nights of August 12 and 13, the peak of the Perseid meteor shower will take place, one of the most spectacular of the year (together with the Geminid shower in mid-December). This rain of stars is popularly known by the name of the Tears of San Lorenzo, due to its proximity to the date on which the saint’s martyrdom and death are remembered (August 10).
As the National Geographic Institute (IGN) points out, this year the lighting conditions of the Moon will be excellent to be able to enjoy the phenomenon, since it will be waning and very close to the new moon phase, illuminated by only 10%. approximately. In addition, it will not rise over the eastern horizon until late in the morning, so that the observation of the Perseids can be carried out during most of the night without the interference generated by the light of the Moon.
Meteor showers fill the night sky with streaks of light known as meteors or, colloquially, shooting stars. In reality, these are small fragments, with typical sizes of a few millimeters, which enter the Earth’s atmosphere and, due to friction with the air, disintegrate at high altitudes (usually above 100 km) generating a flash. of light.
Although the entry into our atmosphere of fragments from space is constant and, therefore, it is common to observe shooting stars at any time of the year, there are specific dates in which the number of meteors increases considerably during a few nights: they are the meteor showers
A meteor shower occurs when the Earth, in its annual orbit around the Sun, crosses the orbit of a celestial body that has littered its trajectory with material detached from its surface. Typically, these are comets, relatively loose objects with a high content of volatile compounds that, when they get close to the Sun and heat up, release large amounts of dust and other debris.
Specifically, the Perseids owe their existence to comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, an object that orbits in 133 years and is approximately 26 kilometers in size. Despite the fact that our planet crosses its trajectory (in fact, this is the reason why we have the Perseid meteor shower), according to some studies carried out, there is no significant danger of an impact against this comet, at least in the next few thousand. of years.
The Perseids are generous in terms of the number of nights their meteors can be seen. In fact, since the middle of July, the first shooting stars associated with this meteor shower can already be observed, although their frequency increases with the passing of the days until the maximum of activity that, according to the IGN, will take place this year between on the 12th and 13th of this month of August. These would therefore be the best nights to enjoy the phenomenon.
Although the theoretical number of meteors that can be seen under ideal conditions can be around 200 per hour, the actual number depends on many factors, such as the darkness of the sky at the observation site and, of course, the weather. . The most optimal thing is to stay away from urban centers, avoiding nearby light sources as much as possible, and if this is not possible, it is recommended to observe from terraces or elevated balconies, to be above most of the light from the streets. Obstacles that may block vision, such as buildings or trees that are too close, should also be avoided.
Finally, it must be taken into account that the rate at which shooting stars appear is not constant, so patience and, of course, a comfortable observation position are also essential elements.
The shooting stars of the meteor showers seem to come from a specific point in the firmament, which is characteristic of each one of them and which is called the radiant. Actually, it is the place through which the comet fragments enter the atmosphere, although their volatilization can take place along their entry trajectory. Therefore, meteors can appear at any point in the sky, although the projection of their luminous line will always lead towards the radiant.
The position of the radiant in the firmament gives each meteor shower its name. Thus, the Perseids have their radiant at a point that is visually located in the constellation Perseus.
