Karol Wójcicki, who leads Facebook page “With your head in the stars”reminded us that with each successive night we are approaching the maximum of the Perseid shower – the culmination of falling meteors. “Although they can be observed between 17 July and August 24, the period of best visibility is approaching. The Perseids are best observed 3-4 days before and after the maximum. This year's maximum is forecasted for 16:00 on August 12, so the nights of August 11/12 and 12/13 will be the most favorable for us in Poland to observe,” Wójcicki informed in the post.
Dark sky, proper position and red light. How to prepare for the Perseids night?
According to the author of “With your head in the stars”, the quality of observing the phenomenon will be improved primarily by a dark sky away from city lights. “So look for an open clearing or meadow outside the city. Make sure that there are no street lights in sight that could hurt your eyes – even from a distance!” – wrote Karol Wójcicki. Another important aspect turned out to be the position in which we will observe the Perseids. “The meteors are best observed in a lying position. Tipping your head up for a long time can quickly cause neck and back pain. Therefore, it is worth taking a comfortable deckchair, blanket or inflatable mattress with you for observations,” added the expert.
A rather unusual element that can help us during observation is also a flashlight with a red light. “I know from experience that using a flashlight on a phone can be annoying. A small headlamp will definitely be a better solution,” wrote Wójcicki. “An optional red light in such a flashlight is an absolute must. Our eyesight reacts much less to the color red, which is why light in this color is much less disruptive to our adaptation to darkness,” he stated.
Interestingly, the expert also recommended taking mosquito repellent with you to the observation, because “they can ruin even the most extraordinary night”, as well as an alarm clock and coffee, because it is easy to fall asleep while watching the meteors.
What exactly are the Perseids? “They are one of the three largest meteor showers of the year”
Meteors are a light phenomenon in the atmosphere that disappears after appearing in the sky. “It is an autumn constellation that in the summer in Poland it is visible already in the early evening low above the eastern horizon. However, we will see more meteors the higher the shower's radiant (the point from which they fly out) rises. Therefore, you will see most of these types of phenomena in the second half of the night, before dawn” – described Karol Wójcicki on his website. “The Perseids are one of the three largest meteor showers of the year, and the period of its occurrence and the conditions that accompany it place it in the position of the most popular rain falling stars” added their expert.