You don’t need to be an astronomer or even have any scientific training to appreciate the beauty of the night sky. While the mild summer nights make it possible to watch comfortably outdoors, it can even be a very good way to relax… while reconnecting with nature. And, for those who fear embarking on this adventure alone, the month of August offers two unmissable events to get started.
To get to the first, you will have to head for the Gers, where the 33rd edition of the Fleurance Astronomy Festival will take place, from Friday 4 to Friday 11 August. With no less than 25,000 entries recorded on average, this meeting, sponsored by astrophysicist Hubert Reeves, is one of the leading scientific culture events in Europe.
The general public can not only meet amateur and professional astronomers there for evenings and workshops, but also be amazed, even trained, by great researchers from various fields, in a rather good-natured atmosphere. It must be said that Fleurance offers a rich program aimed at young audiences, which makes it a festival very open to families.
In addition, one week before the start of the festival, a surprise guest has been added to the program… It is an artificial intelligence placed under the close control of scientists, who will interrogate it and decipher, with the public, their answers, during the science marathon on Saturday, August 5.
“Scientific” film screenings will also be held every evening from August 6 to 11, from 6:15 p.m. to 8 p.m., as part of the second Fleurance Film Festival, this year focusing on the theme “Transitions, science
Are you too far from the Gers? Do not panic ! Star Nights are made for you. Created in 1991 with the aim of introducing as many people as possible to the observation of the sky and initially designed as a sort of general open door for astronomy clubs, at a time of year when it is easy to observe many shooting stars while being little disturbed by the luminosity of the moon, it is an appointment which generates more than five hundred local events each year.
A good opportunity to learn how to observe the sky for free with astronomical instruments that not everyone is lucky enough to own. Celestial dust, this will be the theme of the 2023 edition organized by the French Astronomy Association (Afa) and more than 250 clubs, associations, planetariums and town halls, throughout France, including in major cities. To find an event near you or your vacation spot, it’s here!
And if you still prefer to observe the sky from your terrace with a few friends, know that the celestial spectacle will be there since it will then be the maximum of the Perseids, the most famous shower of summer shooting stars.
What is it about ? Every year, at this same time, the Earth crosses, in its orbit, a cloud of dust created by a periodic comet called 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Debris that it leaves behind and which burns up when it enters our atmosphere at high speed.
This swarm of meteors, known as the Perseids, always gives rise to attractive astronomical spectacles visible to the naked eye. This shower of shooting stars is also called “St. Lawrence’s Tears” because it usually peaks around August 10, St. Lawrence’s Day.
To guide you in your home observations, the Afa has concocted a few easily accessible tools, including seven emails to get started in astronomy (upon registration), a special Nights of the Stars podcast on the theme of celestial dust (available from the 1st August) and two turnkey programs to observe the sky for yourself (available from August 5). With that, if you don’t have the opportunity to make a wish by raising your eyes to the sky this summer, we no longer answer for anything…
