Perseids
Shooting stars delight observers
A Perseid meteor moves across the sky in Neumünster. photo
© Marco A. Ludwig/dpa
Over the weekend there was an exceptional number of shooting stars to be seen. In many places, the weather cooperated well at least at times with a cloudless night sky. There are still chances in the coming nights.
No disturbing moon and good visibility in many places: many people were able to take a look at one or even several at the weekend catch shooting stars. “Summer completed because I saw a shooting star,” said a post on the online platform X (formerly Twitter) – and “Just saw the first shooting star in my life” in another.
In the early morning hours on Sunday, the annual Perseid meteor shower had reached its maximum. You can still see shooting stars in the coming nights – preferably with a clear all-round view away from light pollution and human settlements.
The Perseids are among the best-known meteor showers. They are named for the constellation Perseus from which they appear to come. Their real cause is that the Earth crosses the orbit of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle on its orbit around the Sun and encounters the particles it scatters. These then burn up as luminous shooting stars as they enter Earth’s atmosphere.