The Perseids or tears of Saint Lawrence. The most awaited celestial spectacle of the summer.

The conditions of the sky of La Palma, its transparency and darkness, make the island one of the best places in the world to observe this type of event.

This year the phase of the Moon will reduce the visibility of some of them, but it is always very interesting to go out to dark places free of light pollution to admire this shower of stars.

For some groups specialised in meteors, the maximum is expected at midday on the 12th August, around 14:00 h. (with daylight in the Canary Islands). Therefore, the best nights to observe this event from our island will be the early morning of the 11th to the 12th and the 12th to the 13th of August.

The Tourism Department of the Cabildo de La Palma and SODEPAL, through the project of Dissemination and Promotion of Astrotourism, are preparing a live broadcast from the Roque de Los Muchachos Visitor Centre, on the night of 11th August, starting at 23:30.

What are the Perseids? Perseids are rice-grain sized pieces of the Swift-Tuttle comet, which are passing through the upper layers of our atmosphere at speeds of around 60 km/sec.

Image: Photographic composition of several Perseids, from the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory.