REVEALED: The Swiss cities turning off their lights for weekend meteor shower
The Perseids is one of the best annual meteor showers, showing their fireballs on warm summer nights in the northern hemisphere. In Switzerland, some towns want to make the event even more special by turning off their lights.
Every year, skywatchers get ready for the Perseid meteor shower, which in 2022 is going to peak in the early hours of Saturday, just before dawn. At its peak, it will be possible to see about 200 shooting starts per hour if the conditions are optimal.
The Perseids, as this particular meteor shower is known, are fragments of the comet Swift-Tuttle. Its small dust particles (not actual stars) burn up when they enter Earth's atmosphere at high speed. They can be observed worldwide but are best viewed in the northern hemisphere.
READ ALSO: Five beautiful Swiss villages located near Alpine lakes
And they may be in large parts of Switzerland. Despite the full moon blocking some of the views (don't worry, the moon should set at around 2 am), the skies should be clear of clouds during the early hours of Saturday, according to the Swiss meteorology agency MeteoSchweiz.
Perseid meteor shower peaking now, but bright moon will get in the way https://t.co/itsFcg5Pos pic.twitter.com/KXfrysN0CE
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) August 12, 2022
Some cities also want to remove another major obstacle to stargazing: the artificial lightning that hides most of our stars, the Milky Way, and many shooting stars. The Projet Perseides invites Swiss towns to turn off municipal lights and incentivise stargazing.
The project, created in the French-speaking cantons, has gathered support mainly in western Swiss, but, according to the organisers: "Ultimately, we are targeting the whole of Europe".
Which cities are participating?
You can find the complete list of municipalities here. The communes include Champagne, Grandson, La Chaux, Lausanne, Neuchâtel, Provence, Yverdon-les-Bains, Fribourg, and more than 100 others.
The project invites the municipalities to turn off their public lightning and convince citizens and businesses to do the same - all voluntarily.
READ ALSO: Travel: What are the best night train routes to and from Switzerland?
Projet Perseides started in Orbe in 2019 when the non-profit association convinced the town and surrounding municipalities to turn out the lights. In 2020, nearly 120 Vaud cities joined the project. The following year, they were joined by cities in Valais, Fribourg and Neuchâtel, according to the site.
3. The Perseid meteor shower is usually one of the best of the year with 60 to 100 shooting stars per hour under ideal conditions, but it will have some competition in the night sky this year. https://t.co/ztiRx7mxbe pic.twitter.com/tTbDNUIjNG
— AccuWeather Astronomy (@AccuAstronomy) August 10, 2022
What if my city is not among them?
Even if your city is not a part of the project, it is still possible to watch the phenomenon. The best time would be between 2 am (when the bright full moon sets) and pre-dawn hours, so until around 5 am.
The association says: "to enjoy the night, don't look at light sources. Let your eyes become accustomed to the darkness". This includes ditching your phone for a few hours.
If you can visit a part of town with little artificial light, perhaps going up a mountain, for example, you also improve your chances of seeing more of the shower.
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Every year, skywatchers get ready for the Perseid meteor shower, which in 2022 is going to peak in the early hours of Saturday, just before dawn. At its peak, it will be possible to see about 200 shooting starts per hour if the conditions are optimal.
The Perseids, as this particular meteor shower is known, are fragments of the comet Swift-Tuttle. Its small dust particles (not actual stars) burn up when they enter Earth's atmosphere at high speed. They can be observed worldwide but are best viewed in the northern hemisphere.
READ ALSO: Five beautiful Swiss villages located near Alpine lakes
And they may be in large parts of Switzerland. Despite the full moon blocking some of the views (don't worry, the moon should set at around 2 am), the skies should be clear of clouds during the early hours of Saturday, according to the Swiss meteorology agency MeteoSchweiz.
Perseid meteor shower peaking now, but bright moon will get in the way https://t.co/itsFcg5Pos pic.twitter.com/KXfrysN0CE
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) August 12, 2022
Some cities also want to remove another major obstacle to stargazing: the artificial lightning that hides most of our stars, the Milky Way, and many shooting stars. The Projet Perseides invites Swiss towns to turn off municipal lights and incentivise stargazing.
The project, created in the French-speaking cantons, has gathered support mainly in western Swiss, but, according to the organisers: "Ultimately, we are targeting the whole of Europe".
Which cities are participating?
You can find the complete list of municipalities here. The communes include Champagne, Grandson, La Chaux, Lausanne, Neuchâtel, Provence, Yverdon-les-Bains, Fribourg, and more than 100 others.
The project invites the municipalities to turn off their public lightning and convince citizens and businesses to do the same - all voluntarily.
READ ALSO: Travel: What are the best night train routes to and from Switzerland?
Projet Perseides started in Orbe in 2019 when the non-profit association convinced the town and surrounding municipalities to turn out the lights. In 2020, nearly 120 Vaud cities joined the project. The following year, they were joined by cities in Valais, Fribourg and Neuchâtel, according to the site.
3. The Perseid meteor shower is usually one of the best of the year with 60 to 100 shooting stars per hour under ideal conditions, but it will have some competition in the night sky this year. https://t.co/ztiRx7mxbe pic.twitter.com/tTbDNUIjNG
— AccuWeather Astronomy (@AccuAstronomy) August 10, 2022
What if my city is not among them?
Even if your city is not a part of the project, it is still possible to watch the phenomenon. The best time would be between 2 am (when the bright full moon sets) and pre-dawn hours, so until around 5 am.
The association says: "to enjoy the night, don't look at light sources. Let your eyes become accustomed to the darkness". This includes ditching your phone for a few hours.
If you can visit a part of town with little artificial light, perhaps going up a mountain, for example, you also improve your chances of seeing more of the shower.
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