Overview
- The Perseid shower peaked on the night of Aug. 12–13 as Earth crossed debris from comet 109P/Swift–Tuttle, producing a bright, widely observed display across the Northern Hemisphere.
- Cometary particles struck the atmosphere at roughly 59 km per second, creating swift meteors and frequent fireballs that many observers photographed and reported.
- Forecasts differed on hourly rates: the International Meteor Organization modelled a sparser stream while groups like the Planetary Society and observational reports put likely counts at dozens to around 50–75 per hour at very dark sites with historical ideal rates near 100 per hour.
- NASA streamed real‑time ALaMO camera views and expert commentary during the peak, giving clouded or light‑polluted viewers access while local observatories and public events drew record crowds.
- The shower will taper but remain active through Aug. 24 with visibility declining as the debris thins and conditions such as local weather and light pollution determine how many meteors an individual will see.