This year’s Perseid meteor shower — dubbed „the tears of St. Lawrence“ — will be even more intense than previous years!
During the overnight hours of August 11th & 12th, around 2 am, will be the ideal time to be able to see the Perseid meteor shower. The Earth ploughs into debris left behind from the Comet Swift-Tuttle, producing streaks of light in the sky.
These particles are known as meteorites and this year will be 5 times more intense than previous years. They can be seen between the end of July and the beginning of August but this year they will achieve their maximum visibility in Europe the night of August 11th.
The majority of metiorite particles given off by Swift-Tuttle are as small as a grain of sand and when they come into contact with the planet Earth, they impact at a speed of more than 210.000 km an hour, equivalent to crossing our country from north to south in less than 20 seconds.
The flash of light, known as a meteor or shooting star, is caused by the temperature rise of up to 5,000 degrees in a split second, which causes them to disintegrate.
„These shooting stars can appear in any part of the sky. By their trajectory, they would appear to come from a point located in the Perseus constellation, hence the name of the Perseids” according to Marcos Villaverde, a member of the company ‘Azimut’ that coordinates the spreading of information on the activities offered at the observatory at Calar Alto.
In order to enjoy the Perseus, you don’t need to use a telescope or any other kind of optical instrument. You just need to look at the sky from a place that is as dark as possible and as far away as possible from the light pollution of the cities.
Our Hotel in Almeria, the Protur Roquetas Hotel & Spa, located right on the seafront, is a privileged place to enjoy this spectacle of nature.
