Perseid meteor shower peaks Aug. 12

The Perseid meteor shower is due to peak on the night of Aug. 12 into the early hours of Aug. 13, giving skywatchers one of the year’s strongest meteor displays under unusually dark conditions. NASA said the shower has been active since early July and will continue through the end of August. Sky & Telescope said the best viewing should begin around 10 p.m. local time and improve through the night into dawn. This year’s peak coincides with a New Moon, a setup NASA and other skywatching outlets said should improve visibility. ### When should people actually go outside to watch? Aug. 12 late evening through dawn on Aug. 13 is the main window. Sky & Telescope said observers can start seeing meteors from about 10 p.m., with rates increasing as the night goes on and the best viewing often coming after midnight. WDSU, citing the shower’s radiant in Perseus, said the pre-dawn hours are typically strongest because that is when an observer’s location is turned more directly into the stream of debris. (nasa.gov) The International Meteor Organization’s 2026 calendar lists the Perseids as active from July 17 to Aug. 24, with the peak night on Aug. 12, and said moon-free conditions should help visual observers this year. ### How many meteors might be visible? NASA said the Perseids can produce roughly 50 to 100 meteors per hour during peak conditions. (skyandtelescope.org) Sky & Telescope said observers under dark skies could see as many as about one meteor a minute. Those figures describe ideal conditions, not what every viewer in every location will see. Light pollution, clouds and the amount of time spent watching can all reduce the count. (imo.net) NASA’s long-running Perseids background page describes the shower as one of the year’s brightest and most popular annual displays, with the peak arriving in mid-August. ### Why are astronomers saying 2026 is a good year for the Perseids? Aug. 12-13 falls at New Moon, which means moonlight should not wash out fainter meteors. (nasa.gov) NASA’s August skywatching guide said the peak arrives under dark skies, and Sky & Telescope described the timing as “perfectly timed” because the moon will not interfere. The International Meteor Organization also said the Perseids are one of the strongest annual showers and noted that 2026 brings moon-free nights for the peak. (science.nasa.gov) ScienceDaily, citing NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said dark New Moon skies could make the display especially impressive this year. ### What causes the Perseids in the first place? Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle is the source of the Perseids, according to NASA and Sky & Telescope. (science.nasa.gov) The shower happens when Earth passes through the trail of dust and debris left behind by the comet. Those particles strike Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and burn up, creating the bright streaks seen from the ground. (sciencedaily.com) The name Perseids comes from the constellation Perseus because the meteors appear to radiate from that part of the sky, though viewers do not need to stare directly at Perseus to see them. ### What is the simplest way to improve your chances? Dark skies away from city lights remain the clearest advantage. (jpl.nasa.gov) Sky & Telescope said a dark observing site will improve counts, and NASA said visibility should be ideal this year because the Moon will not brighten the sky. Viewers do not need telescopes or binoculars; a wide view of the sky and time for eyes to adjust to the dark are more useful for meteor watching. (skyandtelescope.org) NASA said it will host a Perseids watch party livestream starting at midnight ET on Aug. 13 on YouTube, with live sky-camera views and meteor experts answering questions. (nasa.gov) (skyandtelescope.org)