If you are a star-gazer, meteorology aficionado, suffer from insomnia or are just a nighthawk badass in general, then keep your eyes peeled at the skies above in Denmark tonight from midnight until sunrise for something truly special.
The earth’s trajectory around the sun is crossing though the huge Perseid meteor storm, and with a bit on luck you’ll be able to see upwards of 100 falling stars per hour late tonight.
“Around midnight the best view for star-gazing will be in Jutland and north Zealand in particular,” Anders Taarnborg Bartholdy, DR’s meteorologist, told DR Nyheder.
“There will be some individual clouds in the southern part of the country in south Zealand, Lolland-Falster and Møn, which can cover things up from time to time, but they will be sporadic. So it should be possible to see the skies around midnight in these areas too.”
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Fragments from Swift-Tuttle
The weather predictions include little cloud cover over Denmark, so there is a good chance to see the meteor storm. Additionally, the new moon means that the light from the moon will be weak tonight.
But as is usually the case when viewing star activity, it would be a good idea to view the spectacle from a darkened area void of light pollution.
The Perseid meteor storm consists of small fragments the size of peas and grain of sand stemming from the Swift-Tuttle comet.
When the fragments hit the earth’s upper atmosphere at a speed of over 200,000 kilometres per hour, they generate shooting white-glow stripes of heated air that can remain visible in the skies for several seconds.
