SHOOTING STARS – Astronomy enthusiasts will be delighted during the night of August 12, 2020. Indeed, it will be conducive to the observation of shooting stars. It will be possible to follow the Perseid rain every hour, that is to say about a hundred of these astral phenomena. Find all the practical information about this evening.
[Mis à jour le 11 août 2020 à 10h55] The night of August 12 to 13, 2020 will be special for astronomy enthusiasts as well as for the curious. This will be the perfect time to observe the sky carefully, and especially the shooting stars. Indeed, this night marks the peak of activity of the shooting star season, with the Perseid rain. They will cross the celestial vault at the rate of 100 per hour. Beyond the shooting stars, you will be able to observe Comet Neowise, or “comet of the year” 2020. And don’t forget to make wishes. ! Find below our advice on how to best observe these shooting stars, as well as the summer program.
Made up of debris from comet 109P / Swift-Tuttle, the Perseid meteor shower is the most famous of the year because it is one of the most active. This meteorite swarm in the constellation Perseus extends from July 17 to August 26 this year 2020, with a peak of activity during the night of August 12 to 13. She is the most spectacular of all, with its 100 shooting stars observable per hour!
You will have to be awake at the beginning of the night before the moon rises, until 1:30 am, to observe the shooting stars that night from Wednesday August 12 to Thursday August 13. Indeed, the light of the Moon interferes with the observations and makes the shooting stars invisible. If, however, you observe the shooting stars after the moon rises, if possible stand with your back to the moon. The brightness should not interfere with the observation of the most visible meteors, especially if you manage to be far from city centers or points of light. When you see a meteor, multiply the wishes, a well-known tradition!
Find below all the essential tips for good preparation and good stargazing. Photography enthusiasts will learn all the tricks necessary to immortalize these magical celestial ballets.
No danger or need for specific equipment! The Perseids are visible to the naked eye by everyone. No need to take out the binoculars or the telescope, given the high speed at which the fireballs pass through the Earth’s atmosphere (an average of 50 km / second). About a quarter of shooting stars leave visible trails for several seconds. To be able to observe this rain of shooting stars optimally, the sky must not be obscured by clouds.
If the Perseids are visible to the naked eye, however, it is not obvious, once outside, to know where to look. First and foremost, make sure you are placed with your back to the moon away from any source of light pollution. Good advice? The site LightPollution Map can help people spot darker areas and therefore optimal vantage points for observation. Finally, to find the famous Summer Triangle, Florent Deleflie, astronomer at the Paris Observatory, advises to look “due east and low on the horizon”. A sky map will be useful to you, or a mobile application which calculates in real time the position of the stars visible from the Earth. If you are already initiated to astronomy, locate the constellation of Perseus then that of Cassiopeia located higher than it in the sky. The radiant, that is to say the place from which the Perseids’ meteor shower seems to start, will be located in the middle of the two constellations.
The stellar tradition, which occurs each year at the same period, will continue, but beware of confusion: it is obviously not a “star” strictly speaking, but asteroid dust which passes very close to our planet and some of which “collide” with the Earth. Shooting stars have nothing to do with stars. They are an extinct comet, or an asteroid which, while moving, leaves behind she a lot of debris.
Luminous phenomena, shooting stars (or meteors) thus appear each time tiny meteorites come into contact with the dense layers of the atmosphere, at speeds ranging from 15 to 70 km per second. Due to the friction of the air, this dust – sometimes more or less large pebbles – becomes incandescent before volatilizing. Electrified as they pass, the air becomes luminescent, giving the impression of persistent trails seeming to come from the same place in the sky: the constellation Lyra for the Lyrids, that of Orion for the Orionids, of Perseus for the Perseids. , Leo for the Leonids or Gemini for the Geminids …
Several major stellar shooting star events take place during the year 2020. This summer, we will not miss the phenomenon of Perseids observable from July 17 to August 26, which are the subject of the Night of the Stars and whose peak activity occurs between August 12 and 13, 2020. Then discover the other most remarkable meteor showers that appear in the sky throughout the year, in chronological order of appearance below:
- Les Orionides : actives from October 2 to November 7, they will be particularly observable of October 21 to 22, 2020, in the middle of autumn. The Orionids, which take their name from the constellation Orion (feasy to recognize, its seven brightest stars form a node butterfly or a slightly tilted hourglass!), are visible in the northern hemisphere at this time of year. Depending on the year, between 20 and 50 shooting stars pierce the sky every hour.
- The Leonids : located in the zodiacal constellation of Leo, the rain of shooting stars of the Leonids appears from November 6 to November 30, 2020 with a peak of activity from 16 to November 17, 2020. If 10 to 20 shooting stars are observable in the sky per hour, every 33 Years ago, the spectacle becomes unforgettable after the passage of comet 55P / Temple-Tuttle: the rain of shooting stars turns into a storm, with thousands of meteors in one night!
- The Geminids : produced by a celestial object called “3200 Phaethon”, the Geminids would thus come not from comets, but from asteroids. Active from December 4 to 17, 2020, their peak activity is between the December 13 and 14, 2020 with an hourly rate of 60 to 75 meteors, see 120 to 160 meteors per hour at its strongest.
- The Ursides : this rain of shooting stars is active from December 17 to 26, 2020, associated with comet 8P / Tuttle. The peak of the Ursides takes place just before Christmas on the night of December 22 to 23, 2020. It is of low intensity, with 10 to 20 meteors per hour.
- The Quadrantides : active during winter nights between December 28 and January 12, they display a rate of 25 meteors per hour, during the night of January 3 to 4 (dates to be verified in 2021). They originate from the sleeping comet 2003 EH1.
- The Lyrids : located in the constellation Lyra and active from April 16 to April 30, the meteor shower of the Lyrids peaks on April 22 of each year, with a rate of 5 to 20 meteors per hour. It is associated with comet C / 1861 G1 Thatcher.
- The aquta aquarides : active from April 19 to May 28 (dates to be verified in 2021), especially visible in the southern hemisphere, the meteorite swarm is supplied by Halley’s comet. Its peak is located on the night of May 6 to 7, with a rate of 30 meteors per hour.
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