A True Spectacle from the Night Sky This Evening - The Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks

The night sky will put on a real show this evening, as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak. Two other meteor showers are also active, and two planets in the Solar System will shine brightly and be clearly visible.

The Perseids are part of the tail of the Swift–Tuttle comet.

“It passes through the inner parts of the Solar System every 133 years, leaving behind a trail of dust and ice particles. These particles enter the atmosphere at a very high speed – about 210,000 miles per hour – and because of the high velocity, they burn up from friction in the atmosphere, which we see as shooting stars,” said Nedislav Veselinov, Director of the Sofia Planetarium.

“The shower’s maximum will occur on the night of 12 to 13 August, more specifically between 11 p.m. on 12 August and about 2 a.m. on 13 August. Under normal observing conditions, up to around 90–100 meteors per hour can be seen,” added Pencho Markishki, physicist at the Institute of Astronomy of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS).

For better visibility, it is important to avoid light pollution in urban areas. Suitable viewing locations near Sofia include areas around the villages of Plana and Zheleznitsa, as well as the Zornitsa mountain hut.

“When you have lights around you, the human eye naturally protects itself by contracting the pupil, so you need to be in a dark place – and preferably at a higher altitude, to avoid smog,” commented Nedislav Veselinov.
However, there are other challenges.

“This year, the Moon will have about 85% of its disc illuminated that night, which will interfere with observations by creating a background glow in the sky, meaning that only the brightest meteors will be visible,” explained Pencho Markishki.
For the early risers, there’s also a bonus.

“After 4 a.m., you will be able to see the two bright planets Jupiter and Venus in apparent close proximity. This attraction will also be visible in the next few nights,” Markishki added.
And do scientists believe that shooting stars make wishes come true?

“As a child I was very tempted to believe that; now I more often make wishes to my bank account,” joked Nedislav Veselinov.

One thing is certain – tonight, the sky will be a temptation for both scientists and dreamers alike.