Perseids 2025: Annual meteor shower to peak mid-August, but experience might get ruined for skywatchers due to this big reason; check here

Time of India

15 hours ago

As stargazers brace for the Perseids meteor shower, an annual cosmic event considered one of the best shows in the sky, it is set to peak next week. The peak of fireballs streaking across the night sky this year coincides with a bright moon, which is expected to reduce visibility for excited viewers. The Perseids are set to peak on August 12 and 13 in 2025 (precisely early next Wednesday) for those in North America. According to the American Meteor Society, the moon will be 84% full at that time.
"In 2025, the waning gibbous moon will severely compromise this shower at the time of maximum activity," the organization said, as quoted by CBS News. "Such conditions will reduce activity by at least 75 percent, as only the brighter meteors will be visible," it further stated. The organization further stated that in 2025, skywatchers can expect to see between 10 and 20 Perseids each hour, as opposed to 50 Perseids per hour under darker conditions.
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"The strength of each Perseid display varies year to year, mainly due to lunar conditions," writes Robert Lunsford with the American Meteor Society, according to CBS News. "If a bright moon is above the horizon during the night of maximum activity, then the display will be reduced. "Most of the Perseid meteors are faint, and bright moonlight will make it difficult to view," he further wrote.
The Perseids meteor shower has been visible for several weeks, starting in mid-July and continuing through August 23. Thaddeus LaCoursiere from the Bell Museum told The Associated Press that the Perseids "are an incredible meteor shower."
When and from where will viewers get the best view
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According to NASA, the best time to view the Perseids is early in the morning, before the sun rises in the Northern Hemisphere. The independent space agency also stated that the best time to view the Perseids in the Northern Hemisphere is early morning before sunrise, but meteors can sometimes be spotted as early as 10 p.m. They seem to come from the Perseus constellation, which is why the shower got its name. But actually, the meteors are space debris from a comet. That debris interacts with Earth's atmosphere, disintegrating and resulting in colorful lines in the sky, according to NASA and the American Meteor Society.
When looking at the Perseids, they appear to come from the constellation Perseus, which is why this meteor shower has its name. But the meteors don't originate from the constellation; they are space debris left by a comet. That debris burns up as it hits Earth's atmosphere, creating bright, colorful streaks across the sky, according to NASA and the American Meteor Society.
"The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Perseids originate from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle," which last visited the inner solar system in 1992, NASA said. According to Lunsford, during the peak, next Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the Earth will pass closest to the core orbit of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. "To view the Perseids successfully, it is suggested you watch from a safe rural area that is as dark as possible," he said. "The more stars you can see, the more meteors will also be visible."