Two epic meteor and fireball displays are about to light up the night skies

North Wales Live

21-07-2025

Two separate meteor showers will overlap in the coming days, giving ample scope for seeing shooting stars. In fact there's a third shower happening later this month – but this one is fainter and only viewable in the southern hemisphere.
Taking pride of place will be the ever reliable Perseids, often considered the year's best meteor shower. At their peak, between 50 and 100 meteors will streak across the night sky each hour.
The Perseids originate from Comet Swift-Tuttle, a short-period comet that orbits the Sun every 133 years. As Earth crosses its dust trail, tiny fragments hit the atmosphere at up to 45 miles per second, igniting into rapid, glowing trails.
Their displays began on July 17 and they will run until August 23, peaking overnight around August 11-12. The peak period is usually amongst the highlights of the annual stargazing calendar.
Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) said: 'The Perseid meteor shower is one of the best meteor showers of the year because it produces bright meteors and is one of the most active.
"There's also a high chance of seeing fireballs, which are very bright meteors, as well as meteors with long trains during the Perseid meteor shower.'
This year, however, there's a complicating factor. In mid August, the full Sturgeon Moon is likely to wash out the displays, leaving only the brightest meteors visible. For this reason, it may be better to look out for Perseids either side of the peak when the skies are darker. Clouds permitting, this week is a decent time, especially around the new Moon on July 24.
You won't need any special equipment. Best time for viewing them is in the early morning, between midnight and dawn. However, some may be visible earlier, said RMG.
RMG, which hosts the Royal Observatory, said: 'The radiant of the Perseids is actually always above the horizon as seen from the UK, which means that observers in the UK should be able to see some meteors as soon as the Sun sets. Therefore, it is worth looking up in the early evening.'
Other meteors displaying already, in both northern and southern skies, are the Alpha Capricornids. Unlike the Perseids, they will peak on July 29-30 when the Moon is in its waxing crescent phase, meaning there will be much less light pollution.
This shower isn't particularly prolific, yielding only around five meteors per hour at its peak. But where they lose out in quantity, they make up for in quality, blazing brightly across the night sky, some as fireballs.
Scientists estimate this meteor shower originated about 3,500 to 5,000 years ago when half of the parent comet disintegrated. The Earth began orbiting through some of the resulting dust cloud only recently.
By the 24th century, most of the dust trail is expected to be in Earth's path. In two centuries from now, the Alpha Capricornids are predicted to become a major annual meteor storm, stronger than all current showers.
How to view meteor showers
As always, it's best to find a dark spot away from city lights – and one that gives the maximum field of view. Hills and mountains are ideal, but parks and the countryside are fine too. Chose a night with clear skies and, ideally, mimimal Moon glare.
If peak shower viewing is not possible – poor weather, full Moon – Royal Museums Greenwich said the days leading up to the peak are usually better than the days after.
It added: 'Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the dark so that you can catch more of the fainter meteors – this does mean that you should avoid looking at your phone!' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox