Perseidy 2023

The Perseid meteor shower is a natural phenomenon, which annually enchants sky watchers around the world. This phenomenon takes place, when Earth passes through a cloud of tiny dust particles from Comet Swift-Tuttle. As a result of this encounter, bright and short flashes of light are created in the night sky.

Meteor scatter

The Perseids are among radio amateurs' most popular meteor showers for meteor scatter connections. In addition to excellent properties, which determine their reflectivity (few small parts, great abundance and speed of movement of swarm particles). At the same time, thanks to the favorable time of year, they are also popular with meteor scatter expeditions.

Meteor scatter links are special types of radio links on VHF bands. These links use meteor flashes as a means of transmitting radio signals. When small particles of dust and rocks in space, so-called. meteory, they enter the earth's atmosphere, they form an ionized tail, which can briefly reflect radio waves.

At that moment, when a meteor crosses the link path between two radio stations, the transmitted signals are reflected from the ionized particles and can reach the second station. This allows you to create short-term, but fast and intense connections over very long distances, which would otherwise be difficult to achieve.

Meteor scatter links also contribute to research on the ionosphere and meteors, which can provide valuable information about the layers of the atmosphere and space in space.

Perseidy 2023 – date

The Perseids are usually active between 17. in July and 24. in August, with their peak activity okolo 13. augusta 2023. In some years, a secondary maximum with a time interval of several hours was also observed (for example in the year 2008 was the gap between the maxima 20 hours). The number of bounces changes every year, there are often more than 80, some years it reaches a value of 200. Every year, a large number of stations from all over Europe are active during the Perseids. The best times for JZ-SV connections 07-12 UTC, in the V-Z direction 12-20 UTC a JV-SZ 20-02.

Visual observation of the meteor shower

Observing the Perseids can be an impressive experience for astronomers and amateur observers alike. It is recommended to find a dark place away from city lights, to better observe their flashes. Warmer summer nights make watching an even more enjoyable experience.

It is important to realize, that observing meteor showers does not require any special equipment. All you need is suitable clothes and patience. The Perseids can provide an exciting view of the sky, which reminds us of the beauty and mystery of the universe. Therefore, do not miss this unique opportunity and go see this fascinating theater in the night sky!