Three Tips for Watching Meteors This Weekend

These celestial phenomena will be visible to the naked eye from areas safe from light pollution on Saturday and Sunday. Amateurs can also see the three planets using a telescope.

Stars in Your Eyes. Saturday, August 10 and Sunday, August 11 at nightfall Amateur astronomers will be in the best possible conditions to enjoy the dozens of meteors that Comet Swift-Tuttle leaves in its wake each summer as it approaches the Sun and its fragments. The phenomenon is called the Perseids, because the meteor shower that escapes the comet falls in the constellation Perseus.

some 575 events are being organised across France over the weekend to celebrate this 34th edition of the Starry Nights. On this occasion,ranceinfo gives you three tips to make the most of this celestial spectacle.

1 Go to a place free of light pollution.

With a small moon, a very thin crescent, less bright than the full moon, “We have everything we need” To observe the stars, Olivier Las Vergnas, president of the French Astronomical Society (AFA), rejoiced during a press conference on Thursday. But to make the night as dark as possible,However, meteor enthusiasts will need to find a location as far away from light pollution as possible, which can be difficult in urban areas, where public lighting and illuminated signs abound. In Paris, for lack of anything better, the meeting place is the Parc Montsouris, for example.

In France, “85% of the capital area is exposed to high levels of light pollution”It is mentioned French Office for Biodiversity (OFB). In the southeast, particularly affected by light pollution, France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur He recommends joining one of the observatories in the area or using a telescope from a remote area. The more courageous can head to a secluded spot in the countryside, or better yet, to one of the Five international dark sky reserves: Pic du Midi, Cévennes, Millevaches, Mercantour and Vercors parks.

2 Join one of the organized events

With nearly 575 events planned across France this weekend, you have a good chance of not straying too far from one of the gathering places listed in card By the French Astronomical Society. The organizers provide binoculars and telescopes so that even the most novice amateur astronomers can experience stargazing.

A night under the stars in a reserve, a telescope at an observatory or even a festive evening… there's something for everyone. Find events near you on the France 3 websites. In Occitania, In Normandyin Center of the Loire Valley Or even in Burgundy Franche Comté.

3 Find a telescope to better observe Saturn, Mars and Jupiter.

In addition to meteors, astronomy enthusiasts will be able to observe planets. Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter. Saturn will appear in the sky around 10:30 p.m. However, to see Mars and Jupiter, you will have to wait until 3 a.m. Through a telescope, “Saturn's rings” It will also be observable, says Clément Plantoreau, co-organizer of Nights of the Stars.