Towns across French-speaking Switzerland to turn off lights for meteor shower
Several towns and cities in French-speaking Switzerland will turn off public lighting in some areas to help people see a meteor shower this weekend.
The Perseids are a meteor stream that can be seen every year in the first half of August if the weather is clear.
This year, the best time to see the peak of the shower in Switzerland is the night of Saturday August 12th to Sunday August 13th.
According to experts, stargazers will have to look at the sky late in the evening and after midnight to (hopefully) observe the shooting stars.
Several towns and cities will be plunged into darkness so that people have a better chance of spotting the phenomenon.
The Perséides Project, led by the association of the same name, encourages French-speaking areas to dim their public lighting to observe the sky. The project said hundreds of municipalities have agreed to turn off lighting partially or completely for the event.
The city of Lausanne is planning to turn off public lights in the two traffic-free districts of Ouchy and Sauvabelin.
The lighting on large monuments in Lausanne will also be dimmed, including the Cathedral, the Rumine Palace and the Church of Saint-François.
If the sky is clear, around 200 shooting stars per hour could be visible, authorities in the area said.
Some other cities like Montreux, Morges, Neuchâtel, Nyon and some suburbs of Geneva including Vernier, Meyrin and Confignon are also planning to get involved by shutting off lighting.
Districts are also encouraging businesses and households to turn off outdoor lights where possible.
Meanwhile, La Tour-de-Peilz will take part in the event for the first time, mainly in the area around the lake and the Roussy garden.
There are also some events taking place to mark the meteor shower. The city of Vevey is organising an evening of sky observation on Saturday in collaboration with the Société d'Astronomie du Haut-Léman. It's taking place at the Vevey Observatory.
A yearly event in the northern hemisphere, the Perseid shower is made up particles released from the comet Swift-Tuttle. It’s called Perseid because the shooting stars seem to come from the same direction as the constellation Perseus, found in the north-eastern part of the sky.
This debris moves at a speed of 58 km per second, or around 210,000 km per hour, thus showing us here on Earth a shower of shooting stars.
Will the weather cooperate?
Meteor spotting requires clear, dark skies. Currently the weather forecast for the next few days looks fairly clear and sunny across Switzerland, although some clouds are expected.
READ ALSO: Summer set to return to Switzerland after snowfall
However, we'll make sure to update you nearer the time in our news roundup on what the forecast is at the weekend.
If you are planning on going out in areas where public lighting is turned off, authorities recommend that people bring a torch and wear light-coloured rather than dark clothing.
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The Perseids are a meteor stream that can be seen every year in the first half of August if the weather is clear.
This year, the best time to see the peak of the shower in Switzerland is the night of Saturday August 12th to Sunday August 13th.
According to experts, stargazers will have to look at the sky late in the evening and after midnight to (hopefully) observe the shooting stars.
Several towns and cities will be plunged into darkness so that people have a better chance of spotting the phenomenon.
The Perséides Project, led by the association of the same name, encourages French-speaking areas to dim their public lighting to observe the sky. The project said hundreds of municipalities have agreed to turn off lighting partially or completely for the event.
The city of Lausanne is planning to turn off public lights in the two traffic-free districts of Ouchy and Sauvabelin.
The lighting on large monuments in Lausanne will also be dimmed, including the Cathedral, the Rumine Palace and the Church of Saint-François.
If the sky is clear, around 200 shooting stars per hour could be visible, authorities in the area said.
Some other cities like Montreux, Morges, Neuchâtel, Nyon and some suburbs of Geneva including Vernier, Meyrin and Confignon are also planning to get involved by shutting off lighting.
Districts are also encouraging businesses and households to turn off outdoor lights where possible.
Meanwhile, La Tour-de-Peilz will take part in the event for the first time, mainly in the area around the lake and the Roussy garden.
There are also some events taking place to mark the meteor shower. The city of Vevey is organising an evening of sky observation on Saturday in collaboration with the Société d'Astronomie du Haut-Léman. It's taking place at the Vevey Observatory.
A yearly event in the northern hemisphere, the Perseid shower is made up particles released from the comet Swift-Tuttle. It’s called Perseid because the shooting stars seem to come from the same direction as the constellation Perseus, found in the north-eastern part of the sky.
This debris moves at a speed of 58 km per second, or around 210,000 km per hour, thus showing us here on Earth a shower of shooting stars.
Will the weather cooperate?
READ ALSO: Summer set to return to Switzerland after snowfall
However, we'll make sure to update you nearer the time in our news roundup on what the forecast is at the weekend.
If you are planning on going out in areas where public lighting is turned off, authorities recommend that people bring a torch and wear light-coloured rather than dark clothing.
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