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8h ago

Perseid Meteor Shower Returns, Building Toward Moonless Peak in Mid‑August

A new moon on Aug. 12–13 will produce very dark skies that could let observers at dark sites see roughly 100 meteors 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 shower became active Friday and will remain visible from July 17 through Aug. 24 as Earth passes through debris left by comet 109P/Swift‑Tuttle.
  • The shower should reach its maximum overnight on Aug. 12–13 under a new moon, with the American Meteor Society estimating up to about 100 meteors per hour under ideal dark‑sky conditions, and the peak follows hours after a total solar eclipse in parts of the North Atlantic and Europe.
  • Perseids often produce bright, long‑lasting fireballs that plunge lower into the atmosphere than typical meteors and observers are asked to report any fireballs to the American Meteor Society to aid scientific tracking and possible meteorite recovery.
  • For the best view, go to a dark, unobstructed site after midnight into predawn, let your eyes adapt for 20 to 30 minutes, and watch with the naked eye rather than through telescopes or binoculars.
  • Local weather and light pollution will control how many meteors people actually see, with coastal fog and high clouds from Tropical Storm Elida already forecast to reduce visibility in parts of California, so many viewers may need to travel to listed dark‑sky parks and towns to get the fullest show.