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The Perseids will fill Madrid skies after the solar eclipse
The solar eclipse will not be the only major astronomical phenomenon in Madrid on 12 August. Once dusk ends and the sky is completely dark, the Perseids will take over with a meteor shower that can be seen with the naked eye, without filters, telescopes or other equipment.
The activity of the so-called tears of San Lorenzo runs from mid-July to late August, but its peak will come during the night of the 12th to the 13th. This year, the maximum coincides with the new moon, so the absence of moonlight will make it possible to spot even fainter meteors if the sky remains clear.
In ideal conditions, away from light pollution, the shower can reach a theoretical rate of close to one hundred meteors per hour. The actual number seen by each person will be lower and will depend on cloud cover, the darkness of the location, the field of view and the time spent observing.
There is no need to look only towards the constellation of Perseus. Shooting stars can appear anywhere in the sky, so the best strategy is to lie down or sit while looking at a broad, clear area, preferably away from streetlights and tall buildings.
Within the capital, extensive spaces such as Casa de Campo, the Valdebebas forest park, Parque Juan Carlos I or the area around Cerro del Tío Pío may offer better conditions than streets in the centre. Even so, urban lighting will make the faintest meteors difficult to distinguish.
Those able to travel will find darker skies in the Sierra de Guadarrama, La Pedriza, the area around Navacerrada and the viewpoints near the El Atazar reservoir. It is advisable to choose authorised places, check access routes and avoid stopping on hard shoulders or in restricted woodland areas.
Observation improves in the early hours of the morning, when the Perseids’ radiant reaches a greater height. It is also advisable to spend at least twenty minutes without looking at bright screens so that the eyes can adapt to the darkness, and to bring warm clothing, even after a hot day.
The night will offer two completely different experiences: first, an eclipse requiring approved eye protection; then, a meteor shower requiring only patience and a dark spot. Madrid will thus have one of those days when the best plan will be above rooftops, parks and mountains.