03/08/2026
Make a Wish: Why Stars Fall from the August Sky
It is one of those balmy August nights when you simply do not want to go to bed. You are lying somewhere in the grass, the ground still radiating the warmth of the day, above you a deep black sky full of stars. And then, all of a sudden, a bright streak races across the heavens and is gone again in the blink of an eye. Someone beside you whispers: “Did you see that?” And before you even answer, you have already secretly made a wish.
Welcome to the most beautiful night of the summer. Every year in mid-August, the night sky over Switzerland turns into a natural spectacle that has amazed people for thousands of years: the Perseids, arguably the most beloved meteor shower of the year.
What is actually falling from the sky
As romantic as the sight may be, the physics behind it are sober — and yet lose none of their magic. The Perseids are not stars falling from the sky, but tiny specks of dust. They come from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which has left a trail of crumbs on its long journey around the sun. Every August, the Earth crosses this trail of debris — and the specks come racing into our atmosphere.
There they burn up in fractions of a second, leaving exactly that glowing streak we admire as a shooting star. Incidentally, the Perseids take their name from the constellation Perseus, from whose direction they appear to shoot out. This year the shower reaches its peak around the 11th to 13th of August — when, on a dark night and with a little luck, dozens can be seen every hour.
Did you know? Most Perseids are no bigger than a grain of sand or a pea. And yet they shine so brightly — because they enter the atmosphere at a breathtaking speed of around 60 kilometres per second. That is over 200,000 kilometres per hour. What burns up there is less than a pebble, but faster than anything human hands have ever built.
Why we make a wish
Hardly any other moment in the sky is so closely tied to a custom as the shooting star. When we see one, we quickly and quietly make a wish — and had better not tell anyone, or it will not come true. Where this custom comes from cannot be said with certainty. One widespread explanation reaches all the way back to antiquity: people imagined that the gods now and then peered down at the Earth through a gap in the heavens. In precisely that brief moment, so the idea went, the connection above was open — and a wish had the best chance of being heard.
A closer look: The tears of Saint Lawrence
In many parts of Europe, the Perseids are still called the “Tears of Saint Lawrence” to this day. The reason lies in the calendar: the feast day of Saint Lawrence falls on the 10th of August — right in the middle of the most active phase of the meteor shower. According to legend, Lawrence was executed on a glowing grid-iron, and the many points of light in the night sky were held by popular belief to be his fiery tears, returning year after year. Thus an astronomical event became entwined with the legend of a saint — a lovely example of how people have always filled the sky with stories, long before science discovered the comets.
Where to watch best in Switzerland
The greatest enemy of the shooting star is the light of the city. Anyone who really wants to see plenty of them seeks out the darkest possible spot away from the street lamps — an alpine pasture, a hill above the sea of fog, a clearing far from the villages. The Gantrisch Nature Park, for instance, is regarded as one of the darkest corners of the Swiss Plateau and draws many sky-watchers on Perseid nights. Patience is key: the eyes need a good twenty minutes to adjust to the darkness — and one glance at a bright phone resets that adaptation instantly.
The rest is all about comfort. A soft picnic blanket or a comfortable lounger is worth its weight in gold, because looking up should be relaxed. At altitude the air cools quickly at night, so a warm layer and a thermos flask of tea belong in your bag. And to avoid losing your way in the dark, you would be well advised to bring a head torch — ideally with a red-light setting, since red light barely dazzles dark-adapted eyes. You do not need binoculars, by the way: shooting stars are best enjoyed with the naked eye and the widest possible field of view.
You will find much of this in our range — do have a look before the big night arrives.
Ready for the night of wishes?
Pack the blanket, bring along someone you are fond of, and find yourself a little spot far from the lights. Then all that is left to do is look up, breathe deeply and wait. And when the first bright streak races across the sky — what will you wish for?