Spectacular things to see in the night sky in August ? A Total solar eclipse & the Perseid meteor shower ! What an excitement !

credits: BBC

Oh dear ! What an excitement ! A solar eclipse the 12 August and the Perseid meteor shower the 13 August !!

While the two events are unrelated, their timing makes for an exceptional night of stargazing. So true !

Here are some of the incredible celestial happenings that you’ll want to add to your diary, true ?!

credits : BBC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/

Venus and Jupiter have appeared on the evenings of 8-9 June with Mercury also visible nearby.

A planet parade might sound like a dressing-up opportunity but it’s actually the term used to describe a number of planets all being visible in the night sky at the same time.

credits: Getty Images

The best annual meteor shower returns to our skies, and the Perseids dazzling display is set to peak on Wednesday night.

Skywatchers will be treated to not one, but two, impressive astronomical events within just a few hours of each other.

A deep total solar eclipse will be also visible in  in the early evening before the Sun sets and the stars emerge. While the two events are unrelated, their timing makes for an exceptional night of stargazing.

Total sola eclipse will be visble at the Parque Natural de Montesinho

Northen Portugal

credits: Jonathan Martins

via SIC Notícias, PT

Viewers across swathes of Europe including France, Belgium, Switzerland and northern regions of Italy will also be able to see around almost 88-95% coverage, while spectators in parts of Greenland and Northeast Portugal and Spain will see a total eclipse. 

Montesinho Natural Park

https://www.montesinho.com/en/oparque

In Portugal, the best place to watch the solar eclipse is at Parque de Montesinho. Montesinho Natural Park is one of the country’s largest natural parks. It is located in the region of Trás–os–Montes, in the Northeast region.

Sadly you’ll have to travel to appreciate one of the most breathtaking celestial events of 2026 - a total solar eclipse. On 12 August 2026, the moon will block the view of the sun from Earth, causing the sky to go dark.

credits: BBC

If you happen to be in Greenland, Iceland, Portugal or northern Spain at the time, then you will need to protect your eyes with a special solar viewer while looking at the eclipse, except for the brief time when the sun is entirely covered by the moon.

Pay attention to all the precautions you must take an of course, don't forget the special solar eclipse glasses.

credits: ANP/Shuterstock

In the summer we can expect the Perseids, one of the better known meteor showers made of debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle that breaks up as the Earth slams into it on its turn around the sun. As well as around 50 to 100 meteors per hour, they also feature fireballs that explode for longer and tend to be brighter than a meteor.

As there will be a new moon around the Perseids’ peak, the sky will be darker and better for spotting the shower. Look out from 17 July to 24 August - the peak will be around 13 August.

The Perseids, pronounced 'Per-see-ids', are caused by debris left behind specifically by the Swift-Tuttle comet.

via Google Images Archives

This comet is considered large with its solid core measuring 16 miles (26km) across. As it takes 133 years to complete a single orbit around the Sun - much longer than our own - some of the pieces of rock we see burning up could have been left behind more than a century ago.

The comet, discovered independently by Lewis Swift on July 16, 1862, and by Horace Parnell Tuttle on July 19, 1862, has a charm that makes it very attractive to cosmonauts. It is responsible for the fact that every year we can observe one of the most incredible meteor showers, the Perseids

These meteors are visible all around the world and named because they appear to originate from the constellation Perseus.

Perseus

https://en.wikipedia.org/

Perseus is a large, prominent constellation in the northern sky. Named after the Greek mythological hero who defeated Medusa, it contains the famous eclipsing variable star Algol, the brilliant star Mirfak, and serves as the radiant point for the annual Perseid meteor shower.

The best time to watch is on the peak nights, which this year is in the early morning hours between midnight and dawn on 12 and 13 August.

At this time there will be many, many more meteors. If you are really lucky, you could see more than 100 'shooting stars' per hour.

Resources: 

Hello Science ! Here come the Perseid meteor shower ! Look up the sky !

Schools : Missed the Total Solar Eclipse ? Here's came the sun ! Resources

Hope you will enjoy, as a sky watcher, admiring the beauty of these two awesome events tomorrow.

Happy  stargazer moment!

G-Souto

11.08.2026

Copyright © 2026G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Spectacular things to see in the night sky of August ? A Total solar eclipse & the Perseid meteor shower ! What an axcitment ! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Sources: BBC/ G.Souto's Blog

Here comes the Perseid Meteor Shower 2024 ! You Can’t Miss It !

The 2024 Perseids meteor shower is about to peak.

credit: Gettty

Seeing some shooting stars with the Perseid meteor shower, the most stunning night sky event of the summer.

Caused by Earth passing through trails of debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, the shower has become famous over the centuries because of its consistent display of celestial fireworks.

This year, the Perseid maximum will occur on the night of Aug. 11 and pre-dawn hours of Aug. 12. You’ll start seeing meteors from the shower around 11 p.m. local time and the rates will increase until dawn. 

If you miss the night of the 11th, you will also be able to see quite a few on the night of the 12th between those times.

credit: NASA

So, get ready for the 2024 Perseid Meteor Shower, the most stunning night sky event of the summer! This episode dives into when and where to watch, offers tips for capturing breathtaking photos, and explains why this year’s shower will be unforgettable.

August sees the return to the northern hemisphere of properly dark night skies. With it getting darker earlier, stargazing gets easier. It’s great cosmic timing because along with convenience comes a conjunction of Mars and Jupiter, the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower and much more.

Around the peak mornings, if you trace all the Perseid meteors backward, they seem to come from the constellation Perseus near the famous Double Cluster. Hence, the meteor shower is named in honor of the constellation Perseus the Hero.

Here’s everything you need to know about stargazing, moon-watching and the night sky in August 2024:

Don’t forget to watch, and share your meteor moments. Join with friends for a night of cosmic wonder and make a wish upon a shooting star!

• Education: 

Please read my publication Hello Science ! Here come the Perseid meteor shower ! Look up the sky ! And all my different publications along the years. You will find different resources and some activities.

Viewing the Perseid meteor shower is a straightforward yet magical experience.

G-Souto

11.08.2024

Copyright © 2024G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Here comes the Perseid Meteor Shower 2024 ! You Can't Miss IT ! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Sources: NASA/ EarthSky

Hello Science ! Here come the Perseids meteor shower ! Look up the sky !

 

The Perseids shower

credits:  Lowell Observator

https://lowell.edu/

The Perseid meteor shower (also known as the Perseids) greets stargazers every year from mid-July to late August. This year the shower will peak between Aug 11-12, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS)

(opens in new tab)

The 2022 Perseids won’t be quite as spectacular as they were in 2021, due to the full moon illuminating the sky. See the Moon posing with various planets throughout the month, plus catch the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower.

The annual Perseid meteor shower will peak August 12 and 13.

Last year, the moon was just a thin crescent and didn't obscure the view of the meteor shower too badly, but the moon's glow is a continuing concern for skywatchers looking for a clear view. Even though the Perseids are especially bright, moonlight can make viewing a bit tricky. This year, the peak of the Perseids will be affected by the full moon illuminating the sky. 

Most of the Perseids are tiny, about the size of a sand grain. Almost none of the fragments hit the ground, but if one does, it's called a meteorite. This beloved, annual sky spectacle is caused by the comet Swift-Tuttle.

credits: Future

via Space.com

Comet Swift-Tuttle is the largest object known to repeatedly pass by Earth; its nucleus is about 16 miles (26 kilometers) wide. It last passed near Earth during its orbit around the sun in 1992, and the next time will be in 2126. 

When you sit back to watch a meteor shower, you're actually seeing the pieces of comet debris heat up as they enter the atmosphere and burn up in a bright burst of light, streaking a vivid path across the sky as they travel at 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second, according to NASA.

The Perseids generally appear to radiate from a point high in the north, called the "radiant." But you need only point yourself generally toward the north and look up.

And while we're talking meteors, did you know many of these "shooting stars" come from comets? Most of the annual meteor showers we observe take place as Earth passes through trails of debris left behind by active comets orbiting the Sun, casting off little bits of dusty debris in their long tails. 

Comet Swift-Tuttle

credits: Jim Scotti, University of Arizona

via Space.com

• Some information:

The Perseid meteors come from a comet called Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 133 years. This is also the reason for the formation of the annual Perseid meteor shower on Earth.

Every year from mid-July to late August, observers are able to admire burning cometary debris all over the sky. This year, the peak comes from the evening of August 12 until the morning of the 13th. The moon will enter a phase of the crescent, eliminating additional lighting. The sky will be perfectly dark for viewing the meteor shower.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich in London said: “As the bits of rock and dust in the stream of debris collide with the Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up and create fiery streaks across the sky.”

Education:

A veritable ritual for summer stargazers, the Perseids are considered one of nature's best fireworks shows, with dozens of shooting stars an hour falling at peak times. 

• How to see?

You can see the Perseids meteor shower best in the Northern Hemisphere and down to the mid-southern latitudes, and all you need to catch the show is darkness, somewhere comfortable to sit and a bit of patience.

To find the Perseids meteor shower, it's a good idea to look for the point in the sky where they appear to originate from, this is known as the radiant. According to NASA, the Perseids' radiant is in the Perseus Constellation. Though Perseus isn't the easiest to find, it conveniently follows the brighter and more distinctive constellation Cassiopeia across the night sky. The meteor shower gets its name from the constellation it radiates from, the constellation is not the source of the meteors.

Perseids shower

credits: Dneutral Han/ Getty Images

This is probably not the best year to make a special trip in order to see the Perseids, but, if you find yourself outside between midnight and dawn on Aug. 13, don’t forget to look up anyway.  

Why? Because you never know – you might just catch one of the bright Perseid meteors that defies the glare of the Moon. Also, the occasional early Perseid can streak across the sky as much as a week beforehand.

The mornings of August 11 and 13 are worth trying, too. The morning of August 13 will present a thinner and less bright moon than on the previous dates … and also more hours of dark sky for meteor watching. So moonrise is a key factor for watching 2020’s Perseid meteor shower. 

credits: unknown

via Google Images Archive

As the full Moon subsides, the Perseids will begin to wane Aug. 21-22 and cease completely by Sept. 1. They’re the debris remnants of Comet Swift-Tuttle, a lumbering “snowball” composed of ice, rock, and dust, which orbits our Sun every 133 years. The comet itself was last visible to us in 1992 and won’t pass our way again until 2125.

How dark must be? Meteor-hunting toolbox:

To best see the Perseids, go to the darkest possible location and lean back and relax. You don't need any telescopes or binoculars as the secret is to take in as much sky as possible and allow about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark.

credits: Future

via Space.com

Visit Sunrise Sunset Calendars to find out when the moon rises in your sky, remembering to check the moonrise and moonset box.

Also, keep in mind that the Perseids tend to be bright. So we expect a number of them to overcome the moonlit glare over the next several mornings. Will you see as many as 40 to 50 meteors per hour in the predawn hours? Maybe!

Perseids meteor

credits; Getty Images

Resources:

• Video: 

• Links: 

NASA: Perseids Peak: Watch Best Meteor Shower of the Year!https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2023/08/07/best-meteor-shower-of-the-year-peaks-this-weekend/

EarthSky: Perseid meteor shower 2023: All you need to knowhttps://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower/

ESA/ Space for Kids : Here come the Perseids

https://www.esa.int/kids/en/learn/Our_Universe/Comets_and_meteors/Here_come_the_Perseids4

Perseids meteor shower 2022: When, where and how to see it

https://www.space.com/32868-perseid-meteor-shower-guide.html#section-additional-resources

Hope you will enjoy, as a sky watcher, admiring the beauty of this annual awesome event.

Happy  viewing!

G-Souto

12.08.2022

update 11.08.2026

Copyright © 2022G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Hello Science : Here come the Perseids meteor shower : Look up to the sky ! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.