The night sky in August is always a highlight for star lovers.
Every year there is a large meteor shower, which astronomers call the Perseids (after the constellation Perseus) - in layman's terms they are simply called shooting stars.
The coming nights are the best opportunity to see them.
Whether this is successful depends first of all on the weather.
"This year we are very lucky with the weather forecast throughout Germany," says Sven Melchert, chairman of the board of the Association of Star Friends based in Heppenheim, in which 4,000 amateur astronomers are organized.
According to the weather forecast, the sky will remain mostly clear and only slightly cloudy.
rise in the east
Nevertheless, Melchert also has bad news for stargazers this year: the full moon is almost exactly on the day of the strongest meteor shower.
It will light up the sky all night, making it difficult for observers to see.
Typically, stargazers can spot between 50 and 60 shooting stars per hour.
This year, due to the full moon, only 10 to 20 can be seen per hour.
The Perseids could also be seen from Frankfurt, says the hobby astronomer.
At night the Perseids rise in the east and then rise higher and higher as the night progresses until they are at their strongest.
This year the peak falls on August 13th at 3am.
Those wanting to watch falling meteors in Frankfurt should seek a dark spot with an unobstructed view toward Hanau or the Taunus.
In order to find the Perseids in the night sky, you have to look east and look for the constellations of Perseus. Constellation apps such as Sky View, Google Sky Map or Star Walk 2 can help with this. You can try it on the Feldberg, the Frankfurt one Lohrberg or in the Offenbach weather park.
However, it is almost impossible to find a suitable place in a heavily lit metropolitan region such as Frankfurt and Rhine-Main where the shooting stars can be seen really well.
Sven Melchert recommends visiting the Star Park on the Rhön near Fulda.
In this region the sky is almost the darkest in all of Germany.