Perseid meteor shower peaks Aug. 13

NASA said on August 5 that the 2026 Perseid meteor shower has been active since early July and will continue through the end of August, with its peak due on the night of Aug. 12 into the early morning of Aug. 13. The annual shower is one of the brightest and most widely watched of the year, and NASA said Earth sees the display when it passes through debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. (nasa.gov) Sky & Telescope said this year’s setup is unusually favorable because a new moon will leave the sky dark through the peak night. (skyandtelescope.org) WTHR said the exact peak arrives at about 10:53 a.m. Eastern on Aug. 13, which puts the best U.S. viewing in the pre-dawn hours on either side of that time. ### When should people actually go outside? (wthr.com) WTHR said the most useful viewing windows for U.S. observers are the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, Aug. 12, and Thursday, Aug. 13. The station said the shower builds gradually and then drops off quickly after peak, so waiting until the following weekend would mean fewer meteors. NASA’s August skywatching guide also places the peak on the evening of Aug. 12 into the early morning of Aug. 13. That timing aligns with what NASA’s Watch the Skies blog published on Aug. 5. ### Why are astronomers saying 2026 should be a strong year? (nasa.gov) Sky & Telescope said on Aug. 5 that the 2026 Perseids are “perfectly timed” because a new moon will keep the sky dark all night. The magazine said moonlight has spoiled the shower in some recent years, but 2026 should give observers a better chance to see fainter meteors as well as brighter streaks. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said the new moon arrives on Aug. 12, leaving the skies “ideally dark” for the shower. (wthr.com) That combination of peak timing and little lunar interference is the main reason forecasters are highlighting this year’s display. ### Where in the sky should you look? WTHR said viewers should look up and slightly northeast, toward the constellation Perseus, which is the shower’s radiant. (science.nasa.gov) The station said the best time on any given night is between midnight and dawn, when the radiant climbs higher and more meteors become visible. NASA said the Perseids are an annual event caused by material from Comet Swift-Tuttle, but meteor watchers do not need to stare directly at the radiant to see them. (skyandtelescope.org) In practice, dark skies away from city lights matter more than precision pointing, because meteors can flash across broad sections of the sky. That is an inference based on standard meteor-shower viewing guidance and WTHR’s emphasis on dark-sky viewing. (jpl.nasa.gov) ### How long does the shower last if clouds ruin peak night? NASA said the Perseids began ramping up in early July and will continue through late August. That longer activity window means cloud cover on Aug. 12 or Aug. 13 would not end viewing chances altogether, though the highest rates are expected near peak. (wthr.com) WTHR said activity falls sharply after peak, but not to zero. For U.S. observers, that means Aug. 12 and Aug. 13 remain the most important dates, with lesser opportunities before and after if local weather interferes. (jpl.nasa.gov) ### What is the next concrete date to put on the calendar? Aug. 12 and Aug. 13 are the dates NASA, JPL and WTHR all point to for the 2026 Perseid peak, with the strongest viewing expected after midnight and before dawn. NASA’s Watch the Skies post said the shower remains active through the end of August, but the darkest, most favorable viewing should come during the peak window next week. (wthr.com) (nasa.gov)