Stargazers get ready! If the sky is clear you may be able to catch more than one glimpse of a shooting star this Sunday night / Monday morning. Better get your wishes ready!
The past few days, the Orionid meteor shower has been visible in the Netherlands. But if you really want to make a wish on one of these shooting stars, the best time to go stargazing is during Sunday night / Monday morning, as the meteor shower reaches its peak. The Orionids are scraps from Halley’s comet, but so-called as they appear to come from the Orion constellation.
If the Dutch weather holds up, i.e. clear skies, you could be able to see up to 39 shooting stars per hour. Whether you’ll be able to see them across the whole of the Netherlands is uncertain. Currently, the best places to stargaze seem to be Brabant and Limburg. In the North and West of the country, the possibility of cloudy skies is higher.
If you are planning on trying to see the shooting stars, don’t bother trying before midnight, as the part of the sky where you will be able to see the Orionid meteor shower will only be visible in the Netherlands after this late hour.
Additionally, on the night of Sunday to Monday morning, it is advisable to wait until around 5.10am before looking up to the heavens, as this is when the moon sets. There is almost a full moon on Sunday, and whilst beautiful, it interferes with one’s ability to see the stars.
The best time to see the shooting stars is from 5am to 6am on Monday morning and by looking in a southern direction at a point a little above halfway between the horizon and the highest point in the sky. You should also check the weather forecast to avoid disappointment, as cloudy skies mean you won’t have much chance of seeing the stars.
When looking for a place to gaze, go for an open area with as little artificial lighting as possible and, when there, make sure you wait at least 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness, don’t check your smartphone in the meantime. Staring up at the sky is very tiring for your eyes; so don’t forget to take breaks every now and then.