2023-08-09 13:17:44
The Perseids will be at their peak on August 12 and 13 when a faint moon might make it easier to see them.
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This celestial phenomenon that returns annually is in fact a meteor shower from comet Swift-Tuttle.
Observable from late July to mid-August, the time when most of these shooting stars are visible usually occurs towards the end of this period.
This year, it is during the weekend of August 12 and 13 that this paroxysm will be reached according to the American Meteor Society.
“With a waning crescent moon illuminated at 10%, the light the moon will produce will be less and should not obscure the fainter stars,” Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at the University of Michigan, told CNN.
The celestial spectacle will be visible across the northern hemisphere a few hours before dawn.
However, it is advisable to travel outside the big cities to avoid light pollution which might affect the visibility of shooting stars.
Up to 50 meteors per hour can then be observed.
More meteor showers will occur by the end of the year, the next being the Orionids on October 21-22.
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