The long-awaited celestial spectacle of the summer, the Tears of Saint Lawrence.

There is no need to go to the high mountains, just look for a dark and clear place on the beach or in the midlands.

IMPORTANT, Astrotourism companies are strengthening their activities these days by taking advantage of this rain.  WE PLEAD respect the environment, limiting lights and noise in the mountains.

The light of the Moon, in its crescent phase, will be disturbing in the early hours of the night, but the maximum (when we can see more shooting stars) is expected during the early hours of 12 to 13 August, when our satellite will have already gone into occultation. However, during these nights and until the 24th of August, we can already see Perseids.

What are the Perseids?
These are chickpea-sized chunks from the Swift-Tuttle comet, which rub against the upper layers of our atmosphere at speeds of around 60 km/sec, and in many cases have a greenish colour due to their chemical composition.

The most optimistic people talk about more than 100 meteors per hour, on the night of the maximum, but as we have already mentioned, our eyes are not capable of taking in the whole sky and, therefore, we will miss many of them. We must be patient.

In image number 1, Perseid coming from the radiant (red circle), the apparent point from which all the meteors of this shower will start, located between the constellations Cassiopeia and Perseus (hence its name, Perseids). Sky position at 02:30 h approx.

In image number 2, the difference between a Perseid and a trace of a communications satellite.

Image 3, photographic composition of several Perseids.

And a short video, in real time, of the Perseid trail.

Within the programme of the AstroFest La Palma 2024 the "Programa de Divulgación y Promoción de Astroturismo" of SODEPAL and the Servicio de Turismo del Cabildo de La Palma will follow up this shower.