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An incredible meteor shower is set to light up the Paris sky in August

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The Editor

© Michał Mancewicz, Unsplash.

August 12th is shaping up to be one of the most beautiful celestial evenings of the year. A solar eclipse at sunset, followed a few hours later by the peak of the Perseids, summer's most famous meteor shower. Get ready for a feast for the eyes!

Get your eyes ready (and your wish list). This year, the sky has prepared us with an XXL program. On Wednesday, August 12, a rare phenomenon will kick off the festivities: a solar eclipse will be visible at the end of the day, around 8 p.m. depending on your location. Then, once night falls, it's time for the grand Perseid show, with peak activity expected during the night of August 12 to 13. In other words? An absolutely exceptional evening and night of stargazing.


What are the Perseids?

Are shooting stars actually real stars? Not really. In fact, behind the Perseids hide tiny dust particles from an asteroid or comet, in this case the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Each summer, Earth passes through this cosmic swarm and these fragments burn up in our atmosphere at incredible speed, creating long trails

shining in the sky. At peak time, it will be possible to observe up to a hundred shooting stars per hour, explained Gilles Dawidowicz, vice-president of the French Astronomical Society, to Actu Paris. Enough to blow through your annual wish quota ! 

And contrary to popular belief, they're not all white. Some shine bright blue, others in green, yellow, or even red. This colorful display is explained by the unique chemical composition of each meteor, but also by the reactions triggered as they pass through Earth's atmosphere. The result? A magical show that's free and honestly pretty hard to beat.


Paris Under the Stars

The best part of this story? The astronomical calendar is perfectly aligned. The solar eclipse on August 12th coincides with a new Moon. Which means that once night falls, our satellite won't flood the sky with its light. The darker the sky, the more visible the shooting stars become. So to enjoy the show, skip the balconies or overly lit rooftops: light pollution is the number one enemy of the Perseids. You're better off taking a little nighttime getaway to green spaces and qu

soul, or even outside the city, in the heart of the countryside. The best time to look up? The second half of the night, gazing toward the north-northeast.

Parisians can also count on the free evenings Paris Under the Stars, organized in several parks across the capital by the French Astronomy Association until September 13th. Led by enthusiasts who will help you identify constellations and the main celestial objects, you can enjoy this exceptional night without leaving Paris. One tip: bring a blanket, silence your notifications, let your eyes adjust to the darkness… and enjoy. The sky will take care of the rest.