Meteor Showers
Perseids
Next peak: August 12, 2027 · 100/hr
PeakAugust 12, 2027
ActiveJuly 17 – August 24
Rate (ZHR)100/hr
Speed59 km/s
RadiantPerseus
Parent bodyComet Swift–Tuttle
Moon at peak85% · Waxing Gibbous
The Moon will be Waxing Gibbous (85% lit) near the peak, which will wash out fainter meteors.
About the Perseids
The most popular shower of summer: warm nights, up to 100 meteors an hour and plenty of bright fireballs.
How to watch a meteor shower
Get away from city lights, let your eyes adapt for 20 minutes, and lie back so you can take in as much sky as possible. You don't need a telescope — meteors appear all over the sky. The best hours are usually after midnight, when your side of the Earth turns into the debris stream.
The single biggest factor after darkness is the Moon: a bright moon near the peak drowns out all but the brightest meteors. Check the moon phase for the peak night and, if it's bright, watch before moonrise or after moonset.