Tears of St. Lawrence
Owing to the low light-pollution of the sky over Istria, astronomy lovers can still enjoy observing the sky here.
Surely the most fascinating sight is around August 12, when the sky is bombarded by prolific meteor showers associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle. On August 10 and 11, and especially August 12, the Earth moves through a cloud of dust and steam and these particles collide with the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 200,000 kilometres per hour, boiling off and unleashing a meteor shower in the sky. This occurrence is known among astronomers as the Perseids, but it is commonly referred to as the tears of St. Lawrence since it appears exactly on St. Lawrence's Day.
The Višnjan Observatory is part of the world's system of studying small bodies of the solar system – skywatchers. It is famous for its excellent astronomy school, and ranks among the ten most successful observatories in the world by the number of discovered asteroids.
Information:
Višnjan Observatory
Address: Istarska 5
Postal Code: HR-52463 Višnjan
Phone: +385 (0)52 449212
Fax: +385 (0)52 449212
E-mail: korado@astro.hr
Website: www.astro.hr
