When you wish upon a star

EVERYONE likes to see a shooting star which in this week’s case is the result of flecks of a comet hitting the earth’s atmosphere and burning up. The Perseid meteor shower has been active since July with about 80 sightings each hour but August 11 and 12 promises to be the busiest so far with up to 200 per hour.

Whilst the shower will attract many viewers, happily unlike the Day of the Triffids where everyone who viewed the night sky went blind, this will be a sight to enjoy and to be impressed by with southern Spain being a particularly good place to view the activity.

Look up to the night skies as this year’s Perseid meteor shower promises to be spectacular. 

As is to be expected, the further you are away from light pollution, the easier it will be to see the shooting stars especially from beaches and hills but the good news is that you will be able to see the activity with the naked eye.

In Spain the phenomenon is known as Lágrimas de San Lorenzo – the tears of St Lawrence – because the best viewing nights often occur around his feast day on August 10.