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yesterday

Perseid Meteor Shower Is Active and Set To Peak Overnight on Aug. 12–13

A new moon during the mid‑August peak should give unusually dark skies that could let observers see dozens of bright fireballs per hour.

The Perseids, an annual meteor shower in the Northern Hemisphere, starts on July 17 and will peak around Aug. 12 this year. Here, the Perseids are seen in 2004 against a backdrop of aurora borealis above Joshua Tree National Park in 2024.
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Overview

  • The Perseid meteor shower began Friday, July 17 and will remain active through Aug. 24, offering nights of viewing before the main peak arrives.
  • Astronomers predict the strongest display overnight on Aug. 12–13 when a new moon will darken the sky and allow observers under clear, dark conditions to see as many as about 100 meteors per hour.
  • The shower is produced by debris from Comet 109P/Swift–Tuttle and is known for producing bright, long‑lasting fireballs that can leave glowing wakes as they burn through Earth’s atmosphere.
  • For the best chance to see meteors, go to a wide, dark, unobstructed site after midnight into the pre‑dawn hours, use only the naked eye, and give your eyes 20–30 minutes to adapt to the dark; popular viewing spots include Griffith Observatory, Joshua Tree and Grand Canyon area sites.
  • Actual visibility will vary by region because of weather and light pollution, with coastal fog and incoming high clouds from Tropical Storm Elida expected to hamper some U.S. West Coast views and a total solar eclipse hours earlier on Aug. 12 creating a rare back‑to‑back skywatching opportunity for parts of the Northern Hemisphere.