The first half of August is a highlight in the calendar of every stargazer with powerful lenses. You can watch the Perseid meteor shower, also known as the “Tears of Saint Lawrence”, from Kravi Hora or many other spots in the city. Photo Credit: Freepik / Illustrative Photo.
Brno, Aug 12 (BD) – Around August 10th, there will be many more meteors (also known as “shooting stars”) in the night sky than in the rest of the year. Of the many observable meteors and their bright lights, caused by the Earth passing through the debris left behind by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle every summer, the Perseids (or “Tears of Saint Lawrence”) are among the most famous meteor showers observable from Earth. According to some sources, the annual meteor shower was first recorded in China as early as A.D. 36.
This year’s August meteor shower will reach its peak between August 12th and 13th.
How to choose a spot for stargazing in Brno?
Of course, you can watch the show from the comfort of your terrace or balcony, but that might not provide you the best view, especially in a light-polluted city, so you may need to find another place to watch from. You can select a spot in advance using aerial photographs from Google Maps or the Czech site Mapy.cz, but the Czech Astronomical Society also recommends visiting your selected terrain beforehand in daylight, to find out how to best access the selected spot and whether it really is as far from the buildings and comfortable as in the pictures. “At the same time, clarify the orientation of the place in relation to the compass and you can decide whether the place has a sufficiently open view,” write the Czech Astronomical Society.
In Brno, you can visit Hady or Stranska Skala. Outside of Brno, good stargazing locations are hills and fields near Lipuvka, Ochoz u Brna or in Nedvedice. Kravi Hora in Brno’s centre offers convenient access, but the lights of the city might affect your stargazing experience.
Please feel free to share your favourite stargazing spots and photos in the comments under this article!
