Shooting star peak: Perseids shine over the southwest!

Shooting star peak: Perseids shine over the southwest!

On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, August 12, 2025, the Perseids will reach their peak. According to Carolin Liefke, deputy head of the House of Astronomy in Heidelberg, up to 60 meteors per hour are possible. The weather report from the German Weather Service (DWD) promises good things: the influence of high pressure gives hope for a high probability of clear visibility, with temperatures above 30 degrees, which cool down to up to 18 degrees at night.

The ideal view of the shooting stars is expected on a mostly starry night, with only a few clouds clouding the spectacle. Thunderstorms or rain are not expected in the forecast, which should maximize conditions for observing the nighttime celestials.

Origin of the Perseids

The Perseids result from dust particles from Comet 109 P/Swift-Tuttle, whose orbit crosses the Earth every year from late July to late August. During this time we pass through the debris left by Swift-Tuttle, leading to the fascinating shooting stars. These dust particles move at speeds of 30 to 35 kilometers per second and create a spectacular spectacle when they come into contact with the air molecules in the Earth's atmosphere.

The comet itself was discovered independently by Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle in 1862 and takes 133 years to orbit the sun once. Its last approach to the Sun occurred in 1992; the next one will take place in 2125. Swift-Tuttle is 16 miles (26 kilometers) in diameter, making it larger than the object whose crash is believed to have caused the extinction of dinosaurs.

Observation opportunities

The best view of the Perseids is in the second half of the night, when the constellation Perseus, from which the meteors appear to stream, is at its highest. However, it should be noted that an almost full moon on Wednesday night could affect the view of the shooting stars.

The discovery that the comet is the source of the Perseids goes back to the astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli, who recognized this in 1865. Each year, as Earth passes through the comet's debris stream, the colorful streaks of light known to us as meteor showers are created. The name “Perseids” comes from its visual origin in the constellation Perseus, from which the meteors appear to come.