Horálek stated thate people should look for the Perseids in the sky between three in the morning and dawn. The constellation Perseus, where meteors seemed to fly, towered over the horizon at that time, At the same time, the moon is still immersed in darkness. The astronomer pointed out that to observe meteors, it is necessary to go far from cities, to places with minimal light pollution, preferably to the mountains.

Perseid herds are active from about mid-July to mid-August. According to Horálek, the frequency increases gradually, after which the maximum decreases sharply. This year, while observing the meteors on time the peak of the swarm is unfavored by the fact that it will occur immediately after a full moon and the fact that it will be a larger and brighter full moon than usual, the astronomer said. Due to poor conditions, the traditional combined Perseid observations of the meadows near the observatory at Ondřejov in Central Bohemia will not be carried out.

The first mention of the Perseid meteor shower dates back to the third century AD. People then saw meteors shortly after Saint Lawrence’s martyrdom. That is why it is sometimes called St. Patrick’s Tears. Lawrence. These are dust particles from comets 109P Swift-Tuttle, which last approached the Sun in December 1992. It won’t happen again until 2126.

Representatives of the Institute of Astronomy of the Czech Academy of Sciences (AV) also pointed out on today’s website that the August sky is “ruled” by the planet Saturn, which on August 14 will be opposite the Sun and also closest to Earth. “That’s why he was visible in the skyand all night, while not high, it reaches a maximum of 25 degrees over the south. Even a small telescope will show Saturn’s rings and the brightest moon Titan,” the astronomers said.

Most of the night, except for curfew, one can also observe Jupiter, which is even brighter than Saturn. “Mars is in the sky in the second half of the night, its angular diameter is still increasing, so under good observing conditions, even with a small telescope, the polar caps and bright albedo formations (formations on the surface of Mars that can be seen from Earth) can be recognized.). Venus is in the morning sky,” added the experts. The Milky Way also towered over the horizon.