14 DAY TRIAL // Google is stepping things up when it comes to doodles and has delivered an absolutely gorgeous one for the Perseid Meteor Shower, which will peak between August 10 and August 13, complete with music and background noises to make it seem as if you’re really there.
The doodle is a video that starts off with a few falling stars on a beautiful background, with a million stars peppering the sky moving on the horizon. The image fades to a different one where the Milky Way plays a more central role, and then to another and another, until you’re completely mesmerized by the beauty of the night sky. Google’s name appears only on the first and final images as if it were made out of constellations.
This isn’t the first time Google has delivered a doodle for the Perseids, but the company wants to encourage people to want to learn more about this celestial event.
“I was inspired by long drives I've taken and trips to national parks, as well as by the subject matter –space! One of my favorite road trip memories is driving up the Pacific Coast Highway near Big Sur and pulling over to observe the stars. The visual spectacle in front of you, combined with being "in the middle of nowhere," definitely evokes some type of feeling,” explains doodler Sophie Diao about the inspiration behind her work.
Diao also notes that it’s not just the actual Perseids that appear in the video, but also some of the other small meteor showers that happen at the same time as the Perseids, saying that’s why they appear to come from other angles in the sky.
Unlike many other doodles, this one comes with music and background noises. The Googler in charge of the work says the music was composed by Niko Leiva and was inspired by the mountains in Bolivia. “I think its contemplative mood fits the sky just as nicely,” she adds.
Diao says that she hopes, in the best case scenario, that people will be inspired to go out and see the meteor shower for themselves, but at the very least, they’ll be reminded that something wonderful happens every August, lighting up the night sky.
The doodle isn’t available for users in all countries around the globe. Instead, it’s available for Canada, several countries in South America, countries in the northern part of Africa, and some areas in Europe, including Russia and Indonesia.
