The Perseids are the remains of a comet that burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere when the Earth approaches its flight path. – The Swift-Tuttle comet, which is responsible for the Perseids swarm, approaches the Earth once every 133 years and sows particles of matter from itself, this dust remains in space along the comet’s flight path – said Piotr Witek.
Where to watch shooting stars? Perseids night on Monday
The Perseids are best observed with the naked eye. The most phenomena can be observed where artificial light pollution is the least, so the further from the city center, the better. Before observing, it is also worth looking at a map that shows places with artificial light: lightpollutionmap.info.
It is important that during the observation the horizon is clearly visible in the south-eastern direction, where the constellation Perseus is located. There is a point, the so-called radiant, from which the paths of meteors diverge.
– In the vicinity of Poznań, the Dark Sky Refuge in Izdebno and Chalin is an excellent location, and if you are looking for something closer, it is worth visiting the Morasko Nature Reserve near Poznań. Near both of these locations, ALPS (All-sky Light Pollution Survey) stations will soon be set up to measure artificial light pollution. One of them will be located on the roof of the Faculty of Physics at the Adam Mickiewicz University. All of these places will provide ideal conditions for observing this amazing phenomenon – assures Justyna Olszewska, PhD student at the Astronomical Observatory Institute, Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University.
Perseid viewing is organized by scientific institutions throughout Poland, including the Silesian Planetarium in Chorzów and the Copernicus Science Center in Warsaw. There will also be observations at the Mound of Liberation in Piekary Śląskie.
The residents of the Tri-City have exceptionally favorable conditions for observations that night. Since the number of visible meteors increases with the darkness of the surroundings, the seaside beaches of Gdynia, Gdańsk and Sopot are ideal places to admire this celestial spectacle.
Hevalianum – Science Center in Gdańsk is organizing observations of falling stars on Gradowa Mountain on August 16. This year, the Jagiellonian University Observatory in Kraków will not organize events related to the night of falling stars, but the Astronomical Observatory in Lubomir near Kraków invites meteor lovers. In Łódź, falling stars can be watched together in the botanical garden. The Astronomical Observatory in Piwnice near Toruń invites you from Wednesday (14.08) to the Falling Stars Picnic – Perseids 2024!
Observation of the Perseids has been going on for thousands of years
Doctor Piotr Witek said that humanity has been observing the Perseids since antiquity. The “falling stars”, which appeared in large numbers in the sky in August, were associated with supernatural forces and became the basis of many myths. – The ancient Greeks linked the appearance of the Perseids in the summer with the myth of Perseus, who was supposed to be the son of Danae. Danae was impregnated by Zeus, who was supposed to come to her in the form of a golden shower, which is associated with the observed phenomenon of meteor showers – said the astronomer.
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
