Get your eyes ready (and your wish list too). This year, the sky has prepared an XXL program for us. On Wednesday, August 12th, 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 viewing location. Then, once night falls, it's time for the big Perseids show, with peak activity expected during the night of August 12th to 13th. In other words? An absolutely exceptional evening and night of stargazing.
What are the Perseids?
Are shooting stars actual stars? Not really. In fact, behind the Perseids hide tiny dust particles from an asteroid or comet, in this case comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Every summer, Earth passes through this cosmic swarm and these fragments burn up in our atmosphere at incredible speed, drawing long trails
shining in the sky. At peak time, it will be possible to observe up to a hundred shooting stars per hour. Enough to smash your annual wish quota !View this post on Instagram
And contrary to popular belief, they're not all white. Some shine blue, others green, yellow, or even red. This festival of colors 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 fabulous spectacle
cute, free and frankly hard to beat.
Toulouse Under the Stars
The best part of this story? The astronomical calendar is perfectly aligned. The solar eclipse on August 12th also corresponds with a new Moon. Which means that once night falls, our satellite won't bathe the sky in its light. The darker the sky, the more visible the shooting stars are. So to enjoy the show, forget about overly lit balconies or rooftops: light pollution is the number one enemy of the Perseids. It's better to treat yourself to a little nighttime outing in green and peaceful spots, 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.
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