Overview
- The Perseid shower became active on Friday, July 17 and will continue through about Aug. 24, offering weeks of nightly viewing before the mid‑August maximum.
- The display reaches its strongest point overnight on Aug. 12–13, and astronomers say a new moon could let observers under dark skies see up to roughly 100 meteors per hour.
- Perseid meteors enter at about 37 miles per second and often produce vivid fireballs that can burn lower in the atmosphere—around 20–30 miles—and sometimes leave long glowing trails or even cause audible effects.
- For best viewing, watch after midnight into the predawn hours from a dark‑sky site, allow 20–30 minutes for eyes to adapt, use the naked eye rather than telescopes, and follow ISO‑rated eyewear rules if you plan to view the partial solar eclipse earlier on Aug. 12.
- The shower is caused by debris from comet 109P/Swift‑Tuttle, whose 133‑year orbit last took it through the inner solar system in 1992, and citizen reports of bright fireballs to groups like the American Meteor Society help scientists triangulate falls and recover meteorites.