The perfect place to watch the stars rain at night

© Blaine McCartney/AP/TT
Perseids meteor showers occur once a year. Photo gallery.

Bring your best binoculars, a blanket – and head to a place free from light pollution.

Earth is currently in a cloud of dust with the remains of a comet. Thanks to the good weather conditions, the chance to see a stunning star fall is very important in large parts of Sweden tonight.

It’s definitely a sight worth seeing, says Peter Linde, associate professor of astronomy and president of the Swedish Astronomical Society.

The Perseids meteorites, named after the constellation Perseus from which rain appears, fall annually from August 10-13.

The Earth then crosses an orbit with harmless meteor pebbles from Comet Swift-Tuttle.

– In orbit there is comet dust, which rushes into the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of at least 30 kilometers per second.

Meteorite pebbles are heated and gasified by friction with air particles.

Then it lights up and forms a light path that can be seen for a few seconds. This is what we consider the fall of a star, says Lindy.

one per minute

The larger the stones, the more visible the traces in the sky.

They are usually small millimeter granules. In rare cases, large stones that can create photogenic phenomena can be even more spectacular.

Regarding this year’s swarm, the moon is almost non-existent, giving a dark night sky. In addition, weather conditions are good – except in the far north and south parts – across Sweden with little to no clouds when activity peaks between Wednesday and Friday.

Later at night, clouds can also reach the western parts of central Sweden

In good conditions, up to 60 falling stars can be observed per hour at night.

It’s best to get a little out of the city lights if you want to see a lot of meteors. Lindy says the brightest stars can be seen from anywhere.

cheers and applause

Tycho Brahe Observatory in Malmö is open to the public who can view the night sky from 9pm until later Friday night.

It’s about seeing as much of the sky as possible. It’s best to do this with the naked eye, says Peter Linde, who is also president of the Tycho Brahe Society, which runs the observatory.

Malmö appears to be overcast at night until Friday.

But during the watch on Wednesday night, a large group of happy visitors witnessed the fall of several stars.

– Imagine that about 40 people are sitting and looking at the sky and then suddenly a meteor falls. It becomes a surprising effect every time you see one.

Sometimes there were happy shouts and applause, he said.