Where and when to see the Perseid meteor shower

Where is the best place to see the Perseid meteor shower in the Costa del Sol? And what is the best time to see the it?

The year’s biggest and best meteor shower is almost upon us, and NASA has begun answering questions about how to see as many of these shooting stars as possible. Its general advice? Escape the city and find dark rural skies, such as the 800 metre high monte Calamorro, reachable by the Benalmadena cable car.

Perseid meteor shower’s peak moment

The Perseid meteor shower runs from July 14 until September 1 but peaks on Sunday, August 11. Although you may have already seen some Perseids, it is really that peak night when you need to be ready. To spot the falling stars, NASA advises looking towards the opposite direction to the moon, and away from the light pollution of cities and towns.

Comet crumbs falling into the atmosphere

The event is often referred to as ‘tears of Saint Lawrence’ (or San Lorenzo) due to it happening so close to the San Lorenzo Saint Day. The mid-summer meteor shower shows around 200 meteors per hour travelling into Earth’s atmosphere and burning up at speeds of 50 kilometres per second. The meteorites are pieces of the 109P/Swift-Tuttle comet which have fallen off, a comet whose orbit passes Earth every year at the same time. The friction felt by the comet crumbs falling into Earth’s atmosphere, causes them to heat up and vaporise at a high altitude. The origin of the comet and its meteorites appears to be the Perseus constellation, hence the name ‘Perseids’.