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Monday, August 12, 2019 at 6:52 pm – The Perseids are one of the most spectacular rains of shooting stars of the year, capable of producing between 80 to 100 meteors per hour at their peak. Open your eyes, and enjoy the show!
The action period usually lasts from mid-July to 24 August. This year the best period runs from August 11th to August 14th, with a climax on the night of August 12th. During peak performance it will be possible to see more shooting stars in the shortest time.
Good news: the sky looks clear to the Laurentians and the Mauricie. Open your eyes and watch the shooting stars!
The optimum observation time is between midnight and dawn, but early evening can also be interesting. At that point, meteors can burn against the atmosphere, creating a long track behind them.
No equipment required: shooting stars are visible to the naked eye. However, the eyes may need several minutes to adjust to the darkness; allow at least one hour for your observation.
The problem: tonight coincides with an almost full moon.
Only the most flaming (and therefore, fewer) shooting stars will be visible through this bright veil, during the night of the maximum. Therefore it will be necessary to bet more for the nights before this climax, between the setting of the Moon and the first rays of the Sun, at dawn.
The lucky (and most alert) spectators could see between 15 and 20 shooting stars per hour.
The conditions would be more favorable to observing shooting stars next year. You could still ride an impressive show, as the shooting stars are especially numerous.
It should be noted that the Perseids were originally dust grains left behind by the Swift-Tuttle comet. This comet was discovered in 1862.
Where to observe the Perseids?
Relaxing as much as possible from light pollution is essential. The Bortle scale, a nine-level scale that determines the rate of light pollution at a specific location, is a good tool. Level 1 corresponds to a sky deprived of all sources of light, allowing the naked eye to admire the stars. At level 9, the sky is full of light pollution, the stars are virtually invisible except the Moon and the planets. It is from the magnitude of 4 that it is possible to observe the Perseids.
Plus, the higher you climb, the farther you are from light pollution and the more you can see the stars. So it is often in the middle of nature, with a dark and open sky, these are the best places to watch the Perseids.
3. The Gaspé peninsula
Good example: the Gaspé peninsula. At this point, the observable part of the sky is very large. Most of the range is 1 and 2 on the Bortle scale and the cities, like Gaspé, are at most 4, the limit for observing the stars.
2. Jacques Cartier National Park
National parks are also a great destination. Jacques-Cartier Park, near Quebec City, is a good choice: it's within walking distance, but far enough from the city to have a nice view of the stars.
1. Mont-Mégantic National Park
The best place to watch this rain of shooting stars is right in the heart of Canada's only all-star reserve: Mont-Mégantic National Park. Reservation of this type is a large area, public or private, where the starry sky is of exceptional quality and protected for scientific or educational purposes, whether you can read on the site of the International Mountain Reservation Sky. Mégantic.
The highest point of the mountain, 1100 m high, is also adorned with the Mont-Mégantic Observatory and its powerful telescope.
Observe them with a naked eye, see the Milky Way best and go further in the sky with the telescope!
SEE OTHERS: A star causes a sparkle similar to fireworks!
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