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Meteor showers, a supermoon, and a planetary parade will make for some fascinating celestial events over Austria in August.
Summertime is Perseid time. That much is clear. Shooting stars have been raining down on us since mid-July.
This year, the summer meteor shower will reach its peak on the night of August 12- 13. But even before that, it’s worth taking a look at the night sky.
On Saturday (August 9), the August full moon will appear, shining like a supermoon, but it is not one.
The August full moon has various names: harvest moon or dog moon.
The full moon will be followed by the next highlight in the sky on Sunday (August 10). Seven planets will be gathered in the sky at the same time. However, unlike last February, it will only be a kind of mini planet parade.
This is because not all of them will be equally visible: while Mercury will be very difficult to spot, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn should be visible from Austria, according to timeanddate.com. Some of them will even be visible to the naked eye. The chances of seeing Uranus and Neptune are not as good. According to the platform, they will only be “difficult to spot.”
The chances of seeing Mars are particularly good until the 13th, Saturn from the 16th, and Neptune from the 26th of August, writes the Urania Observatory in Zurich.
While the full moon will be hard to miss, there are a few things to keep in mind when viewing the planets and Perseids. When it comes to planet spotting, the most critical factor is the presence of the celestial bodies:
Given the brightness of the moon, viewing through a telescope and visiting observatories can help.
Technical aids can also help view the Perseids this year. This is because they can also make weaker meteors visible that would be invisible to the naked eye. The bright glow of the moon will also affect the night of the Perseid peak.
According to the Mirasteilas Observatory in Graubünden, the Earth’s satellite will be 84 percent illuminated. The moon will outshine weaker shooting stars.
According to Thomas Weiland from the Astronomical Almanac, this is one of the “most unfavorable conditions.” It is almost a “total failure,” he is quoted as saying by the Vienna Working Group for Astronomy (WAA).
The US space agency NASA advises keeping an eye out, especially in the early hours of the morning. Then “some bright meteors may still be visible.”
However, the Perseid season does not end on the 13th, but lasts until August 24. Accordingly, it may be worth trying your luck on later nights.
- source: heute.at/picture: pixabay.com
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