The show kicked off Tuesday, it continues Wednesday and Thursday evening. A rain of shooting stars is currently particularly visible in the dead of night. These stars which seem to fall from the sky leaving behind a trail of light, it is a recurring phenomenon but which is nonetheless impressive.
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And during the night from Wednesday to Thursday, up to 20 shooting stars can be observed per hour. That's the promise made by the Southern Aquarid Delta, which crosses the sky this week. They are observable every year at this time of year, when the trajectory of the Earth crosses that of these comet remnants. Because, yes, as the astrophysicist Pierre Cruzalèbes explains, these shooting stars are debris.
"The Southern Aquarid Delta is the rest of a comet that broke in two, it is a large swarm", explains the scientist. "All comets, it's a bit the same, when they get closer to the Sun, they leave debris behind them and it is this debris that we meet and which form the shooting stars. The Delta aquarides of the south, this are shooting stars that you will see well in the morning, before sunrise, so you will have to get up around 3 am to see them properly. "
The ideal: lie down under a clear sky, in the mountains
So notice to the very early risers or the very late owls. 3 o'clock in the morning, it is to be sure that the Moon is lying down, and that the night is very dark. The best way to enjoy it is to lie down under a clear sky. In the mountains, it's better than by the sea, to avoid haze, and of course far from any light pollution.
Pierre Cruzalèbes advises to fix a point, for example the zenith, above our heads, and to wait, if only for half an hour, to be sure to see at least ten.