Great balls of fire: how to watch the perseids in france this weekend

Great balls of fire: how to watch the perseids in france this weekend


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THE ‘SHOOTING STARS’ WILL HIT THEIR PEAK IN THE NIGHT SKY THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 12 The peak of the Perseids meteor shower will be visible from France this weekend. Here is how to get the


best view. WHAT IS THE PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER? The meteors are small debris parts from the Swift-Tuttle comet, which comes close to the Earth every 133 years. Our planet’s orbit goes through


the comet’s debris tail every year between July 17 and August 24, which produces an effect of ‘shooting stars’ as the debris slams into the Earth’s atmosphere and burns up. Some of the


meteors may even appear as ‘fire balls’, which are very bright. The Perseids shower is visible from all over the world, but especially from the northern hemisphere. The ‘meteor shower’


refers to the ‘shower’ appearance of the shooting stars as they appear to cross the sky. Up to 100 shooting stars per hour can be visible during the shower’s peak, overnight on August 12-13.


The shower is called ‘Perseids’ because the meteors appear to come from the Perseus constellation. Perseus was a hero figure from Greek mythology. The word comes from the Greek ‘Perseides’,


which refers to Perseus’ descendants, EXPLAINS the Royal Museums Greenwich. HOW CAN I SEE THE PERSEIDS? The best place to see the highest number of shooting stars is to look directly below


the constellation Cassiopeia, which is in the form of a ‘W’ in the northeast quadrant of the sky just after midnight (in France). The US Space agency NASA advises people to: * Find a dark


area to lie down, between midnight and dawn * Point your feet towards the northeast, and look straight upwards into the sky * Give your eyes 15 minutes to adjust to the view and let your


eyes see even the faintest meteors, which means not looking at sources of light (including your smartphone) The darker the space, the better your view. It is best to go to an area of land


away from town or city lights, or other sources of light pollution. The peak of the shower will occur one hour before dawn on August 12-13, NASA said. You can check sunrise (and sunset)


times near you in France on THIS FREE WEBSITE. There is no need for a telescope or binoculars as the wider your field of vision, the more you will see. The shooting stars will be clearly


visible (weather permitting). This year, the conditions are favourable to a good view. This is because only 7% of the Moon is currently visible from France, so it will give off minimal light


pollution. Some places, including the Cité de l’Espace near Toulouse (Occitanie), are hosting events in honour of the shower and to help people view it properly. > EVENEMENT//⭐La Nuit 


des étoiles propose une traduction en Langue > des Signes Françaises: >  > 🔭20h15 Anim "Le ciel à portée de main" > 🔭21h Spectacle "Cabaret Cosmic" > 


🔭22h15 Anim "Découvertes célestes" >  > 🔽Infos🔽https://t.co/TS52OLmxCf > 🔽Inscriptions🔽https://t.co/spEbopwPhB > pic.twitter.com/Q5QDIdWXgg > — Cité de l'espace


 (@CiteEspace) August 7, 2023 The Perseids shower will continue until the end of August, and will also be particularly visible overnight on August 16, when a new Moon cycle will mean no


moonlight pollution. Sadly, even the best viewing spot will not change the weather. Cloud cover will obstruct your view, so it is best to check the forecast before you head out. READ ALSO


‘ENCHANTED’, ‘AMAZING’: YOUR MEMORIES OF THE PERSEIDS SHOOTING STARS LOOK UP TO THE FRENCH SKIES TONIGHT FOR THE LAST SUPER MOON OF 2022