Shooting stars will light up the sky again and again in 2021.
We show you in an overview when you can observe which meteor shower.
Anyone who discovers a falling star in the sky is usually considered lucky - after all, they are said to make wishes come true.
But what exactly is a shooting star - and how do they come about?
You can find out all this and when you can watch the light trails here.
What are shooting stars?
Shooting stars are luminous phenomena - also called
meteors
- that arise several times a year and can be seen in the sky under good conditions.
They can reach a
speed of up to 72 kilometers per second
and are
visible
from a
height of 80 to 120 kilometers
.
All year round, all sorts of shooting stars are created, bearing names such as Ursiden or Lyriden.
Since the orbits of the earth and comet around the sun hardly shift, the falling stars appear in a similar period of time each year and are easy to predict.
For example, the Quadrantids become visible at the turn of the year, while the Perseids appear in summer.
Shooting stars: how do the light phenomena come about?
Shooting stars are created when
tiny particles hit the earth's atmosphere
. They are bits of rock and metal that break off asteroids and then fly around the solar system. From then on they are called
meteoroids
. But they can also come from comets: These can be imagined as snow or ice balls with stones trapped inside. When a comet like this comes near the sun, part of the ice evaporates, releasing rocks and dust. These parts are also called meteoroids.
As soon as the earth crosses the orbit of a comet and its meteoroid tail on its way around the sun, they burn up in the earth's atmosphere.
The tiniest particles in this tail, about one millimeter to one centimeter in size, are so small that they evaporate in the process.
What we then actually perceive as a falling star are largely the air molecules that are ionized by the dust particles along the path of the falling star.
Larger bodies that move across the sky like flares are sometimes found among the swarms of falling stars - they are known as
bolides
.
Shooting stars 2021: when can they be seen in the sky?
Shooting stars |
Period |
maximum |
place |
|---|---|---|---|
Quadrantids |
January 1 to January 5, 2021 |
January 3rd |
Northern hemisphere |
Lyrids |
April 16 to April 25, 2021 |
April 22 |
Worldwide |
Arietids |
May 22nd to July 2nd, 2021 |
June 7, 2021 |
Europe |
Eta-Aquariids |
April 19 to May 28, 2021 |
May 6, 2021 |
Worldwide |
Delta aquariids |
July 12th to August 19th, 2021 |
July 28, 2021 |
Southern hemisphere |
Perseids |
July 17 to August 24, 2021 |
August 12, 2021 |
Northern hemisphere |
Orionids |
October 2 to November 7, 2021 |
October 21, 2021 |
Worldwide |
Leonids |
November 12th to November 21st, 2021 |
November 17, 2021 |
Worldwide |
Geminids |
December 4th to December 17th, 2021 |
December 13, 2021 |
Worldwide |
Ursids |
December 17th to December 26th |
December 22, 2021 |
Northern hemisphere |
Shooting stars in Germany 2021 at a glance
We have summarized for you which shooting stars you can see in Germany in 2021.
You can find more information about the sky events here:
Quadrantiden (January 1 to January 5, 2021)
Lyrids (April 16 to April 25, 2021)
Arietids (May 22nd to July 2nd, 2021)
Eta-Aquariiden (April 19 to May 28, 2021)
Perseids (July 17 to August 24, 2021)
Orionids (October 2 to November 7, 2021)
Leonids (November 12th to November 21st, 2021)
Geminids (December 4th to December 17th, 2021)
Ursiden (December 17th to December 26th)
These meanings are said to be falling stars
Shooting stars have been given different meanings over the years. It is a common belief that anyone who sees a falling star will have
a wish granted
- provided that they do not reveal it. This thought probably developed from the fact that people used to
see
divine beings
in the sparks of light
. The falling stars in the sky were seen as wicks from heavenly candles that the angels had fallen while cleaning. This is where the term shooting star comes from. In the Middle Ages, candles were “cleaned” by cutting off the wick. This wick was called a "snuff". When seeing the shooting stars, people hoped for the assistance of the divine beings.
But the shooting stars do not stand for good everywhere: In Mongolia they represent a
dark omen
- they appear when the soul of a deceased sets out on the path to the afterlife.
The natives of the Andaman Islands, on the other hand, see burning torches in the trails of light, with which
evil spirits
hunt down people who are outdoors at night.
In the Middle Ages, Christians saw the apparitions as
divine warnings
.
Halley's Comet 1066, for example, was interpreted as a harbinger for the conquest of England by the Normans.
Shooting stars 2021: These are the ideal conditions for observation
Anyone who wants to go “shooting stars” needs good conditions. To this end, Dr. Carolin Liefke, from the House of Astronomy in Heidelberg, a few tips: For example, it is important that the
radiant
, i.e. the point in the sky from which the shooting stars apparently come, is directly above you. These radians can be in different constellations depending on the shooting star. For example, the radian of the Perseids lies in the constellation Perseus. So, familiarize yourself with the constellations to make it easier to spot the falling stars in the sky.
You should also look for a place where there
is little brightness and distraction from lights
- so away from cities or on days when there is no full moon. Many shooting stars are rather faint, so that they can be overlooked quickly. That's why you should choose the day on which the
highest activity
is (s. Table). Favorable weather also plays a role in observing falling stars - a clear sky is essential in order to be able to see the trails of light well.
(fk)
