They can already be seen in the night sky. The Perseids – shooting stars in English – will be passing over us until August 24th. They will reach their peak in the middle of the month. Astronomers expect the peak to be in the night of August 13th. Or rather: the shooting star shower actually begins on the afternoon of August 12th. Up to 100 of the sparkling celestial bodies will then be visible every hour.

Through space at 200,000 km/h

The Perseids’ luminous trails all come from the same direction, from the northeast. More precisely, from the constellation Perseus, which explains their name. The free mobile app “Sky Map” can show you the exact position of Perseus. However, the shooting stars fly very far across the sky and often enter the atmosphere later, so you don’t have to look strictly northeast to see them. Perseids are debris from a comet called Swift-Tuttle, which the Earth approaches every year as it orbits the sun. They move at around 200,000 kilometers per hour. Due to this enormous speed, they create striking luminous trails.

On these nights you should definitely look up at the sky

According to the International Meteor Organization Most of the shooting stars are on the move between 3 and 6 p.m. on August 12th. Unfortunately, we can’t see them then because of the daylight. But the celestial spectacle continues even after darkness falls. And it will actually be quite dark that night, as only a quarter of the moon is visible and disappears completely around 11 p.m. The night of August 13th is therefore the peak of the Perseid shower this year. But the nights before and after are also perfect for stargazers. Up to 50 shooting stars are on the move per hour.

The perfect time

By 10 p.m. at the latest, the sky is dark enough to see many of the Perseids. Conditions are favorable until 4 a.m. After that, dawn sets in and just an hour later it is too light.

Tip: Get out into the country

Generally speaking, the darker the better. It is relatively difficult to see shooting stars in the middle of a lit city. If you have the opportunity, you should drive out into the countryside. The night sky is particularly easy to observe from mountains or hills. And astronomers have another tip: don’t use binoculars. They limit your field of vision and you could miss the Perseids.