Perseid Meteor Shower Peak Dates: When And Where To See Fireballs

Summer meteor showers don’t get any better than the Perseids, which peak overnight Monday night into Tuesday morning, but will remain active through Aug. 26. Alas, there’s a problem: The moon is nearly full, and that may wash out the faintest meteors.

Still, it’s worth finding a dark sky, settling back in a reclining lawn chair or on a blanket, and looking up at the sky. Dozens of shooting stars may be seen every hour, particularly in the pre-dawn hours, weather conditions permitting.

The American Meteor Society says the Perseids are the most-anticipated meteor shower of the year in the Northern Hemisphere because they fly on warm summer nights.

During normal years, the Perseids can be seen at a rate of 50 to 75 meteors per hour in areas where there isn’t a lot of light pollution. But in outburst years, such as in 2016, they can fly at a rate of 150-200 meteors an hour.

Despite interference from the moon, NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke doesn’t recommend skipping the summertime favorite.

“The Perseids are rich in fireballs, so you'll still see Perseids,” Cooke told Space.com. “You just won't see the show you've seen on nights when the moon has not been around.”

And though the meteor shower is most visible after midnight, skywatchers may see a sprinkling of meteors from mid-to-late evening. A rare earthgrazer — a long, slow, colorful meteor along the horizon — is also possible during the evening. Earthsky said Perseid earthgrazers occur before midnight because the radiant point of the shower is close to the horizon.

The Perseids occur when the Earth enters the orbital path of Comet Swift-Tuttle, which makes numerous trips to our inner solar system, and slams into the rubble left behind at about 130,000 miles per hour. The outbursts occur when the Earth enters a particularly dense patch of rubble.

The Perseids radiate from the constellation Perseus, named after the hero Perseus in Greek mythology, near the famous Double Cluster. The constellation is found in the northern sky and is one of the largest. Finding the radiant point for the Perseids isn’t necessary because they fly in all parts of the sky.

Be sure to find a dark, open sky. Be patient. It’ll take your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness, and set aside at least an hour to view them. They can come in spurts, and there can be a lull between shooting stars. Bring along a blanket or reclining lawn chair and settle in to enjoy the show.