Starfalls in August and not only. Earth hit the Perseid meteor shower

On the night of August 12-13, you can see the Perseid meteor shower - the largest starfall of the year. Yuga.ru collected five places where it is best to observe the sky.

Star rain will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere, on a hill and away from city lighting. According to Gismeteo's forecast, clear weather is expected on the territory of the Krasnodar Territory from August 12 to 13, so there is every chance of seeing more meteors. The best time to watch a celestial spectacle is from 23:00 to 03:00, but the peak is at 01:00 - 02:00. Stars will fall all over the sky, so don't be afraid to look the wrong way. Astronomers are advised to select one point and watch it - so you will see the most.

Perseid meteor shower annually appears in August from the constellation Perseus. At this time, the Earth passes through a plume of particles released by the Swift-Tuttle comet. Small dust particles burn in the atmosphere of the Earth, and we see what we call starfall. The Swift-Tuttle comet itself approaches the Earth once every 135 years, but passes through its tail annually. The last time a comet was seen in 1992.

100-150 meteors per hour is expected at the peak of the Perseid stream, according to the forecast of the International Meteor Organization. This means that every minute at least two “shooting stars” will appear in the sky. The peak of meteor shower falls on the night from Saturday to Sunday - the perfect time to watch the stars and at the same time think about the eternal.

Tent Camp at Rosa Khutor Resort

Tourists observe the meteor shower at Bzerpinsk cornice, which is located at an altitude of 2.1 thousand meters above sea level.

Telescopes will be installed on the site, music will play and a cafe will work. Guests of the camp are waiting for yoga classes, walks along a mountain trail, an open-air movie and lectures on celestial bodies.

The mountain camp will open at 13:00 on August 12, from this time it will be possible to set up your own tent or rent it with the sleeping bag from the organizers. You can get to the camp until 20:00. The festival will end on August 13 in the afternoon.

Sea shore

On the shore will be guaranteed a good overview and a pleasant sound - the sound of waves. The main thing is to choose a place near which there will not be much light from the coastal town.

For these reasons, Sochi and Gelendzhik will not work, unless you go to the wild beaches, away from cafes and hotels. But fit Veselovka and the village of Blagoveshchenskaya, like many other small villages on the coast of the Black and Azov Seas.

Mount Sober Bash

The beauty of Sober-Bash is not only that the stars are clearly visible from there, but also in accessibility - this mountain is almost the most popular in the region, because it is easy to climb onto it.

Sober-Bash is located 60 km from Krasnodar, near the village of Ubinskaya in the Seversky district. You can get there without traffic jams in two hours. Walking to the top on foot is another two to three hours, but if you have an SUV, you can get there. Do not forget the necessities of the trip - water, food, something sweet, plasters, antiseptics and matches.

The name in Adyghe means “witch’s mountain”, its height is 735.8 m. The summit of Sober-Basha is quite flat and spacious, with a good overview.

Mezmay

In Mezmay, the conditions for observing the stars are close to ideal - it is not for nothing that astronomers come here to look at the Perseids. There is an observatory in the village, so if you wanted to count all the meteors through a telescope, then this is your chance.

200 km from Krasnodar, three and a half hours drive - and you are in a wonderful mountain village with the poetic name "forest of wild apples" (the word "mezmay" is translated from Adyghe). In the vicinity of the village there are several viewing platforms - "Mikhailov Kamen", "Pyramid" and the "Eagle Regiment", well known to Krasnodar residents. Going there at night, especially to the “shelf”, may not be the best idea, so we recommend not to go far from the village, which itself is located at an altitude of 600 m above sea level.

Krasnodar

If you spend a weekend in Krasnodar, be prepared for the fact that you will see significantly fewer shooting stars - only 3-5 per hour. To observe the sky, it makes sense to choose the eastern part of the city (Komsomolsky, Gidrostroy), which is always a little darker after sunset than the west.

In addition, you can make an excursion to the observatory of KubSU and look at the stars through a telescope. Astronomers will watch the peak of the Perseid stream in Mezmay, and the observatory does not work on August 12-13. But the star rain will last until August 24 - everyone will have time to make a wish.

Imagine that on a windy day you are passing a crossroads through which a dump truck with sand has just swept through. A dusty trail stretches behind it, and many grains of sand will fall into your windshield. Now we’ll transfer this picture into space: instead of a dump truck there will be a comet, instead of an intersection — intersection of orbits, sunlight instead of wind, and earthly atmosphere instead of windshield.

Where do the Perseids come from

Particles of the meteor shower are generated by the Swift-Tuttle comet. Moving in a very elongated orbit, it makes one revolution around the Sun in 133 years. When approaching a star, its core partially evaporates, and gases carry away grains of sand and pebbles - a loop forms from them behind the comet.

What is what

Meteoroid (meteor particle, meteoroid) - an object moving in interplanetary space is larger than a speck of dust, but smaller than an asteroid, that is, no larger than 1 m in size.

Meteor - The outbreak accompanying the combustion of a meteoroid in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Car - especially bright meteor; fireballs have a noticeable angular size, crushing in flight, trace.

Meteorite - a fragment of a large meteoroid that has not completely burned out in the atmosphere and has fallen to the ground.

Continuation

For millennia, the pressure of solar radiation erodes it in width and stretches along the orbit. The width of the Perseid meteor shower exceeds 40 million km, and the Earth crosses it for more than a month, moving around the Sun at a speed of 30 km / s. However, the densest part of the flow is already noticeably 1.3 million km, and we cross it in about 12 hours.

Perseid particles meet the Earth at a speed of 53 km / s. They would have covered the distance from Moscow to Yekaterinburg in half a minute. A millimeter-sized grain of sand at this speed has the energy of a record hit with a hammer or an explosion of 1 gram of TNT. She could make a hefty hole in the spacecraft hull.

However, the concentration of particles is extremely low. For one of these to enter the ISS, one would have to wait about ten years in the densest, central part of the stream. So meteoroids, despite the speed and impressive appearance when burned in the sky, pose a much less threat to flights than artificial orbital space debris.

This year, the conditions for observing Perseids are especially favorable. Firstly, the maximum activity falls on the period when there will be night in Europe and Russia. Secondly, on August 11 there will be a new moon, which means that moonlight will not interfere with observations.

The International Meteor Organization (IMO) predicts Perseid activity at 110 meteors per hour, and on the night of the maximum, two additional bursts of activity are possible (presumably around 23:00 and 5:30 Moscow time). They are associated with condensations of meteor particles that were seen in past years.

How to look at meteors

To observe the active stream, complex preparation and equipment are not required: meteors are visible to the naked eye. You only need to know when and where to look, and get comfortable.

Radiant Perseid - a small area in the sky that, due to the perspective effect, seems to be the source of meteors of one stream, is located, as the name implies, in the constellation Perseus. At the beginning of the night, the constellation is low above the eastern horizon, meteors of the stream are rarely seen, but they are long, crossing the entire sky.

In the middle of the night, Perseus rises and shifts south; there are more meteors. The best time for observing Perseids is at three to four in the morning, and in the southern regions - until five in the morning. You should not look directly into the radiant, since there are not very many meteors there and they are short. It’s better to keep an eye on the sky a little away from the radiant - at the zenith, in the south and south-west.

No less interesting are the photographic observations of meteors. To do this, you need a digital camera with a wide-angle lens and remote control (from the remote control or computer), shooting with a shutter speed of at least 30 seconds. The camera is placed on a tripod or simply laid on a flat surface, directing to the zenith. Then, shots are taken one by one with a long exposure.

To catch a beautiful meteor, images with a total exposure time of two to three hours are usually required - much more than with visual observations. Firstly, even with wide-angle lenses, the field of view is less than that of a person, and secondly, the camera cannot turn its gaze towards the meteor that appeared at the edge of the field of view. The chances increase if you put several cameras at once, pointing them to different parts of the sky, or use a fisheye lens.

Dress warmly and take an insect repellent, get to a place where there is no urban exposure.
Prepare a place for observation (deck chair, air mattress). Orient it southeast at the beginning of the night and south at the end. Lying you should see the zenith, and at the edge of the field of view - the constellation Perseus.
15 minutes before the observations, stop looking at the sources of bright light (flashlights, smartphones, a bonfire) so that your eyes get used to the dark. If you need light, put a red filter on the flashlight, for example, from a plastic bag and put the smartphone into night mode.
Look at the sky for at least 15 minutes in a row, and preferably an hour. Meteors follow unevenly, even at the peak of activity, you can’t see anything in five to ten minutes, and then there will be several meteors in one minute.
Consider the pattern of the constellations, but do not focus on individual stars. Do not look sharply from one point of the sky to another, otherwise the stars can create the illusion of a meteor.
When observing in a group, it is useful to report aloud about the observed meteors, without taking their eyes off the sky. You will find that not every meteor is noticed by all observers.
It’s useful to study the main constellations on a map in advance and select several stars to compare the brightness of meteors. The direction of meteors is described "by the clock": 12 hours - towards the head, three - to the right, etc.
If you want your observations to be of scientific value, study the materials

Perseids are a meteor shower that appears in July-August every year. It is so named because flying "stars" appear in the area of \u200b\u200bthe constellation Perseus. This starfall is considered one of the most spectacular and dynamic.

The Perseid Starfall in 2019 will peak at night from August 13-14. On this day, the number of falling "stars" per hour can reach 100 or even 150. In general, star rain begins from July 17 to August 24.

At the end of July you will see only a few meteors per hour. Every day the number of falling “stars” is increasing. And after reaching a peak on August 13-14, it decreases. Closer to the 20th day, only 1-2 meteors per hour remain.

Why does starfall happen?

What is starfall in general? The name of this phenomenon is misleading and misleads some people. No, the stars do not fall down.

Astronomers call the meteor shower a meteor shower, and create its numerous meteors. These are fragments of comets that enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn out in it, while on their way down they glow like stars.

If we talk about the stellar rain, Perseid, it occurs when our planet passes through a plume of particles of the Swift-Tuttle comet.

From Earth it seems that the center from which meteors fall is in the constellation Perseus.

But in reality, the meteor shower is not related to this constellation, it just bears its name and occurs in the same part of the firmament.

In which part of the sky to watch?

So, you got the idea to see the Perseids. Where to find them?

Direction: Northeast.
Raise your head up, but not so high as to look above your head.
The best time to admire the meteor shower is from 2 to 4 a.m. But it is permissible to start at 10 o’clock in the evening.
Days with a full moon are not very suitable for observations, since moonlight outshines the lights of the falling “stars”. In 2019, just this case - the full moon will occur on August 15, but even on the 13-14th day the moon will already shine brightly. However, it is still possible to see falling meteors.
It is preferable to choose a place away from the city and light sources that will obscure the meteor shower.

This is what the constellation Perseus and the neighboring parts of the starry sky looks like (photo clickable). A radiant is the center from which a stream of meteors emerges.

Mystical meaning

In ancient times, when humanity did not yet know about the existence of regular meteor showers, their appearance inspired fear and surprise in people. Someone even believed that aliens had arrived.

There is a curious belief: if you make a wish on a shooting star, it will certainly come true. So our ancestors thought, and today many believe in omen. Oddly enough, very often it comes true.

On August 15, 2019, the Full Moon will occur. So, you can conduct various rituals. Rituals for wealth and fulfillment of desires are especially effective. The concurrent meteor shower will enhance their effect.

To increase your chances, follow simple rules:

perform the ritual in solitude;
articulate what you want with all the details;
what is the exact date by which the desire should come true, let this date be realistic.

Starfall is an amazingly beautiful phenomenon. Flying “stars” excite the imagination, give rise to fantasies. The starry sky is beautiful in itself, and when it observes meteor shower ... it's definitely worth it not to sleep at night.

Mystics are sure that the falling “stars” carry energy flows with them to the Earth. The characteristic of this energy depends on the constellation that is observed in the zone of the center of the meteor shower.

The constellation Perseus is, according to the esotericists, a rivalry between the Light and Darkness of our World. During this period, many people will prefer to fight for justice, to defend the good and their interests.

show compassion for others;
be tolerant to family and friends;
take your time on the warpath.

Watch the video how the meteor shower looks. He is amazing!

History

The earliest references to Perseids appeared at the beginning of our era in Chinese annals. They were also regularly mentioned in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese historical documents from the 8th to 9th centuries.

In Europe, the first official mention of Perseids was made in 1835 by the Belgian Adolf Quetelet.

However, it is obvious that Europeans knew about the August star rain before. In Italy, he was called “Tears of St. Lawrence,” because on August 10th the festival of this saint takes place, and the date is close to the peak of the starfall.

Many people like to watch stars falling from the sky. This astrological phenomenon wakes the imagination and awakens fantasies for many centuries. Even our most distant ancestors believed that a wish made during a star rain would come true.

In the professional language of astronomers, a starfall is called a meteor shower. In fact, stars falling from the sky are nothing but meteors, consisting of particles of cosmic dust and ice. They are the remnants of comets moving through outer space.

When comets approach the orbit of the sun, they are heated. As a result, the ice in their composition begins to melt, and the rocks dissipate. Walking in outer space, the solar wind throws these debris to the outskirts of the solar system.

As a result of this movement, a dust cloud is released from the tail of the comet, which remains in the orbit of its movement. Some of these fragments even manage to cross the earth's orbit. Usually the greatest number of starfalls is observed when the Earth passes through clusters of meteor showers.

Astrologers believe that the traces of stars flashing in the night sky also carry powerful streams of energy. Rushing to the ground, they can carry both positive and negative energy. It all depends on the constellation in the path of the stellar stream. In this case, the configuration of other stellar bodies is also important, both in relation to each other and in relation to the meteor shower.

In ancient times, another sign has found its beginning. Then it was believed that during the fall of the star, you need to have time to make a wish. She is alive and sowing the day, many now seeing the falling light are trying to make the most secret desire. Contrary to science and common sense, wishes made at such a moment very often come true. Someone may consider this a mere coincidence and attribute everything to banal luck, but experienced astrologers convince us of the opposite. They believe that the nearby bodies of heaven have a strong influence on the likelihood of the realization of desire.

January 3 and 4, 2018: we see the Quadrantida Starfall

The 2018 Starfall List begins the Quadrantida meteor shower. It is located in the constellation Bootes. Its main characteristics are short duration and inconstancy. It will last only 6 days, from the 1st to the 6th day. He will be most active at night from 3 to 4. Not everyone will be able to watch him. The beauty of starfall will be available only to residents of the northern hemisphere.