Overview
- The shower is forecast to reach its maximum activity overnight on August 12 into the early hours of August 13, according to NASA and multiple space agencies.
- The Perseids occur when Earth crosses debris from Comet 109P/Swift‑Tuttle and can produce up to about 100 meteors per hour under ideal dark‑sky conditions.
- A partial solar eclipse will happen earlier on August 12 in parts of the Northern Hemisphere but it will not affect the meteor display that night.
- Experts advise viewers to go to a dark site away from city lights, allow 20–30 minutes for eyes to adjust, lie back to see a wide swath of sky and watch toward the northeast for Perseus.
- Organized star parties and paid viewing events are scheduled in deserts, parks and state parks worldwide, though local cloud cover and light pollution remain the main uncertainties for how the show will look.