The classic appointment with the shooting
stars of San Lorenzo
is back, the Perseid meteors
whose peak is expected between 11 and 13 August
.
After a memorable 2021, this year's show will be compromised by the full Moon, so it is better to anticipate the observations of a couple of nights or wait for the final part of the night.
Punctual as every year, the Perseids return, also known as the Tears of San Lorenzo,
due to the grains of dust left by the comet Swift-Tuttle that burn on impact with the earth's atmosphere, producing spectacular trails of light in the sky.
The peak this year will be in the nights between 11 and 13 August during which, in conditions of perfect visibility, in very dark places, up to 100 meteors could be observed per hour.
"After a memorable 2021, by 2022 the observing conditions of the Perseids will be decidedly less favorable", commented
Gianluca Masi
, Scientific Director of the Virtual Telescope.
To circumvent the problem, it may therefore be advisable to play in advance by aiming for, for example, the nights of 9 or 10 August or wait for the sunset of the Moon, in the final part of the night during which, for astronomical reasons, there is a peak: " since at dawn the observer is on the part of the Earth that advances along its orbit towards the cometary dust - added Masi - it is as if he saw from the "windshield", rather than from the rear "window" of our planet. at the setting of the moon,
The 'tears of San Lorenzo' arrive but with a full moon
ANSA.it
Falling stars, 5 ideas for St. Lawrence's night - Viaggi
From the sea to the mountains, what to do from 10 to 12 August (ANSA)
