The Perseid peak is near: where and when to watch the meteor shower in Ukraine

On the night of August 12-13, Ukrainians will be able to observe the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, one of the brightest of the year. This time, the conditions for observations will be especially favorable, as the peak will fall on a new moon and the light of the Moon will not interfere with seeing the meteors.

This is reported by Forbes and the American Meteor Society.

In dark skies, away from city lights, you can expect to see up to 60-100 meteors per hour. However, this number is only possible under ideal conditions. Near cities, there will be significantly fewer meteors — most likely, observers will see a few dozen meteors per hour.

The best time to observe is after midnight and before dawn. This is when the constellation Perseus, from which meteors appear to be shooting, will be highest above the horizon. You don’t need a telescope or other special equipment to observe it – just choose an open area with as little light pollution as possible.

The Perseids are caused by Earth passing through the debris plume of Comet Swift-Tuttle. When the particles enter the atmosphere, they hit it at speeds of about 60 km/s and burn up, leaving bright trails that resemble “shooting stars” from Earth. The meteor shower is active each year from about July 17 to August 24.

But the celestial events won’t end there. On the afternoon of August 12, a total solar eclipse will occur, the total phase of which will be visible in parts of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain. For most of Europe, the eclipse will be partial.

It will be more difficult to see it in Ukraine. Due to the time of sunset, the eclipse will have a weak appearance in most regions or will be almost invisible. The best chances of observation will be for residents of the western regions, in particular Transcarpathia and Lviv regions.

Therefore, the night after the solar eclipse will provide a much better opportunity for observations: on the night of August 12-13, the Perseid peak is expected over Ukraine without bright moonlight.

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