Best Places in Tyrol to Experience the Perseid Meteor Shower: A Guide for Shooting Star Enthusiasts

2023-08-12 12:11:33

Saturday, 08/12/2023, 12:11 p.m

Ever seen a shooting star? The chances of this happening are particularly good in August. Because the earth always crosses the orbit of the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle at about the same time – this year under optimal conditions, because the phenomenon will not be disturbed by the moon in 2023.

Vienna, Innsbruck – This year the prospects for a view of the night sky at the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower are quite good. Because the daytime maximum is expected for Sunday, August 13, those interested will have the opportunity to observe more shooting stars in the nights from August 12 to 13 and from August 13 to 14. The moon will hardly limit their visibility this year, according to the Vienna Association for Astronomy (WAA).

Every year in mid-August, Earth crosses the orbit of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, whose dust trail produces the Perseid falling star rain. This happens because the dust grains collide with the Earth’s atmosphere at about 60 kilometers per second. There they evaporate at an altitude of 50 to 100 meters, what we see is the light up in the air behind them. The name “Perseids” comes from the fact that stars appear to fall out of the constellation of Perseus.

The meteor shower is also called “Tears of Laurentius” because its appearance coincides with the name day of the martyr Laurentius on August 10 and was interpreted as tears from heaven over his martyrdom. The constellation rises in the northeast late evening in mid-August and climbs into the eastern half of the sky by dawn.

Compared to last year, the moon hardly interferes with the observation of the meteor phenomena this year. Because there is a new moon on August 16th, it only appears as a very thin crescent in the morning twilight on nights when Perseids occur more frequently. The best time to observe the Perseids will be August 13 from about 10 p.m. at an increasing rate until dawn, the WAA said.

These are the best places in Tyrol to experience the meteorite shower live

Not only the moon can disturb the observation. If you want to spot as many shooting stars as possible, you should first look for a suitable place for the shooting star hunt – in a place that is as dark as possible, far away from the light pollution of the cities.

According to the umbrella organization for the environment, dark night-time habitats, where the natural spectacle can be experienced in all its glory, are becoming increasingly rare. It only gets really dark in untouched night oases.

In Tyrol, a slightly higher vantage point is therefore ideal. Ideally, the view should be directed to the north-east. Anyone who has a deckchair and warm clothing ready is ideally equipped for the spectacle. Additional equipment such as a telescope or even a telescope is not required. Of course, the wish must not be forgotten either (APA, TT.com/jb).