Despite the unmissable spectacle of the Perseids, the most famous of the shooting stars, Saturn is the protagonist in the nights of August.
As pointed out by the Italian Amateur Astronomers Union (Uai), the planet of the rings is in fact at the minimum distance from the Earth and on 14 August it will reach opposition to the Sun, i.e. it will be at the opposite point from the Sun with respect to the Earth.
Like every August, the traditional shooting stars of San Lorenzo will bring millions of Italians to look up for a few hours towards the starry sky, a blockbuster show made possible by the impact of the earth's atmosphere with the dust left by the passage of comet Swift- Tuttle.
There are many initiatives to enjoy these moments in company, including Calici di Stelle, the initiative that combines the spectacle of the celestial vault with food and wine delicacies, promoted on 10 August by the Wine Tourism Movement and by the National City of Wine Association.
This year, however, the Perseid swarm, so called because the meteors all seem to originate from the constellation of Perseus, will be rather subdued due to the Moon.
In the night between 11 and 12 August our satellite will in fact be at maximum brightness and will greatly reduce the chances of sighting the trails of shooting stars.
But to keep the night show level high will be the lord of the rings, the second largest planet in the Solar System which in these days will be at the minimum distance from Earth and will offer itself for spectacular nights of observation (even very simple equipment is enough to be able to see rings).
It will be very easy to identify it right on the night of the full moon, when the two will be very close to each other in the sky (prospectively).
Finally, after months of inaction, the other giant, Jupiter, will also return to appear in the night sky at simpler times for observers, moving to the constellation of the Whale.
