We have some ways to find the ideal place

Although there are still a few days to reach their maximum activity, The Perseids They are here. The most popular rain of stars will be elusive again because of the moon, which will be in its luminous phases during the days when the rain of stars reaches its climax.

Fortunately, that does not mean that we cannot see them.

In emptied Spain. Every year, thousands of people take advantage of summer to return to the peoples that their parents and grandparents abandoned to look for life in cities, emptied Spain. This vast rural region presents an ideal opportunity for those who want to enjoy astronomy, an opportunity that many visitors have not wanted to waste that, without a specific link, choose rural Spain as a destination with the aim of escaping from light pollution.

The Perseids. Perseids are perhaps the most iconic rain of stars in the northern hemisphere. Its origin It is in small pieces of ice and rock scattered throughout the comet 109p/Swift-Tuttle In its orbit. Towards the beginning of August, the orbit of our planet crosses this path, which causes some of these particles to be captured by gravity, fall and disintegrate burned in the planet’s atmosphere, shining incandescent.

The flashes of this rain of stars are becoming more frequent night by night as we get closer to the dates on which the meteor rain reaches its climax, which usually happens Around August 11 and 12 (This year will be the day 12 around 22:00peninsular time). On a clear night, the Perseids can produce at this point about 140 fleeting stars every hour.

The pollution problem. This year it will be difficult to see this peak since the full moon will take place only three days before, on August 9. This implies that our satellite will be an important source of light pollution, which reduces the contrast that our eyes need to see these fleeting stars.

To dodge the moon, we can try to take advantage of these days in which the Perseids approach their peak, but for this we will have to dodge another source of light pollution: the artificial lights of cities and other urbanized areas. That is where the vast extension of areas with low population density, the “donut” emptied between Madrid and the urban areas of the coast comes into play.

Looking for the best places. Fleeing from the city to see the Perseids seems like a good idea but, where are we? Choosing destination can be a bit more complicated than it seems, but we have some tools at hand.

The first is the map of light pollution created just over a year ago by a team from the Complutense University of Madrid and the CBAS (International Research Center of Big Data For Sustainable Development Goals). This is The map further accurate of light pollution in Spain and Portugal. The map covers most of the Iberian Peninsula and the archipelagos of the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and Madeira (not the Azores).

We can also resort Apple -shaped maps For the mobile phone, such as ‘Light Pollision Map – Dark Sky,’ that also has a page web that we can consult from our browser.

The other space tourism. Many rural areas have seen a new hook in Astrotourism to attract visitors to the rural environment. In this sense, this year’s persistent can be seen as a prelude to what will come next year: The eclipse that will travel the peninsula, predictably bring thousands of people to the areas that will be covered in sunlight.

Local institutions have transformed this interest into actions to promote astrotourism through promotional companies and campaigns. An example is that of the City of Benavente, which last weekend celebrated His first ‘Astro Tourism Festival’, already with the attention set in the great astronomical event next year.

In Xataka | What are they and how exactly the Perseids are formed, the most fascinating astronomical phenomenon that we can see today

Image | NASA/BILL INGALLS