The strongest meteor shower of the summer will peak this week—here's how to watch it in the US
This year, though, the cosmos is throwing in a bit of a curveball: an 84-percent full Sturgeon Moon that will wash out fainter streaks. This means you might not see the full 'shooting star' spectacle, but bright fireballs—those extra-dazzling meteors that flare and linger—will still make appearances. NASA says even under moonlit skies, you could catch one or two of these every hour during peak viewing.
The Perseids, active from July 17 to August 23, are the handiwork of comet Swift–Tuttle, whose debris trail Earth plows through once a year. These tiny particles (some no bigger than a grain of sand) burn up in our atmosphere, creating those luminous streaks. From our earthly vantage point, they seem to radiate from the constellation Perseus, which is how the shower got its name.
You'll want to skip the telescope—meteors can blaze across huge swaths of sky, so you'll want your full field of vision. Find the darkest spot you can, ideally far from city lights and at a higher elevation. Bring a blanket or reclining chair, bundle up (yes, even in August—it gets chilly when you're sitting still) and give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Minimize phone use or better yet, switch to a red-light flashlight to protect your night vision. While meteors can appear any time after nightfall, your best odds are between midnight and dawn, when the sky is darkest and Earth is facing into the debris stream.
For those willing to gamble on better conditions, you could also try viewing on August 16 or 17, when the moon will rise later, but meteor activity will be lower. Either way, patience is key; the longer you watch, the more likely you are to see something worth gasping over. And unlike most summer blockbusters, this show comes with zero spoilers: just you, the night sky and the occasional cosmic mic drop.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
17 minutes ago
- Time Out
Perseids 2025: How to see the biggest meteor shower of the year in London peak tonight
If you know astronomy, you'll know that the Perseids is the fastest and brightest meteor shower that graces our skies each year. You may also know that it's due to reach it's peak very soon. After weeks of build-up, tonight (the night of August 12-13) will see the shower officially peak. For several weeks each and every summer (it was first observed way back in 69BC), Perseids lights up our sky with hundreds of shooting stars (aka meteors), putting on a dazzling display for everyone here on Earth. It's active for over a month and you may have spotted one or two meteors on a recent clear night, but Perseids is at its most dazzling on the night known as its 'peak'. Here's what you need to know if you want the best possible view of the Perseids meteor shower from London. What is the Perseid meteor shower? Meteor showers are made up of debris from comets in our solar system. This particular shower stems from a comet called 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The meteors crash into the Earth's atmosphere at an average speed of 36 miles per second then vaporise, leaving glowing streaks of light behind them. Royal Museums Greenwich calls Perseids 'one of the best meteor showers of the year'. When will the Perseids be visible in London? The shower has been active since July 17 and will continue until August 24. The best opportunity to see them will be when it reaches the maximum number of meteors of around 150 per hour (its 'peak'), tonight – August 12-13. When do they peak? The exact day that the Perseids shower peaks will be today, Tuesday, August 12. How can I watch? Just look up. There's no need for any special equipment – you should be able to see Perseids with the naked eye, so long as the conditions are good. Obviously we'll only be able to see the spectacle if the skies are clear. At this point, it's too early to say exactly what the weather will be like on the night that the shower peaks. Right now, the Met Office says that between August 5 and August 19, London will see 'spells of rain or showers mixed in with some drier, brighter days'. It says that 'there are signs that high pressure to the southwest may try to extend its influence across the UK, which could bring more in the way of dry, settled weather as we head further into August', so things look hopeful. If the sky is clear on the night, set yourself up somewhere with an unobstructed view of the sky and minimal light pollution. A hilly park like Primrose Hill, Hampstead Heath or Morden Hall Park would be ideal. Weather forecast While much of the past couple of weeks has been pretty cloudy here in the UK, things are looking up (just in time for you to look up) tonight. The Met Office is predicting plenty of clear skies this evening August 12, so there should be plenty of opportunities for shooting star-gazing.
North Wales Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
How to see the Perseid meteor shower during UK peak
The Perseid meteor shower is one of the brightest and fastest meteor showers of the year. The shower lights up the skies each summer and is known for its fast-moving meteors - often dubbed "shooting stars". Here is all you need to know about the meteor shower and how to view it in the UK. The Perseids come from a comet called Swift–Tuttle, which orbits the Sun once every 133 years. The rocks collide with our own atmosphere at high speeds of between seven and 45 miles per second, causing the meteors to vaporise and leave behind a bright trail of light, also known as shooting stars. According to Royal Museums Greenwich, the average speed for a Perseid meteor is 36 miles per second. The air in front of the meteor is squashed and heated to thousands of degrees Celsius. The Perseid meteor shower will remain active and visible in the skies until August 24, it is expected to peak on August 12. It will bring up to 100 meteors to the night sky. The Royal Museums Greenwich has provided its tips on viewing the meteor shower. One of the best annual meteor showers, the Perseids, will peak this month ☄️ Unfortunately this year, a nearly full Moon will wash out all but the brightest meteors. However, another favorite annual meteor shower, the Geminids, is poised for Moon-free viewing in December. Its website says to ensure to check the weather forecast ahead of time, and if the forecast isn't favourable, find a different location to observe from or view the meteor shower on another day. However, visibility could be affected by bright moonlight from the recent Sturgeon Moon. Top tips on viewing the shower include: Make sure that you are in a dark sky area and have an unobstructed view towards the south Recommended Reading: How can you take a photo of the Northern Lights? (A guide for beginners) WATCH: Family captures 'bright shooting star' on doorbell camera BBC and Met Office to join forces to deliver UK's 'most-trusted' weather service Lie down on a blanket or sit in a lawn chair to ensure that you have a wide view of the sky Your naked eye is the best instrument to use to see meteors – don't use binoculars or a telescope as these have narrow fields of view Allow your eyes to adapt to the dark and don't look at any lights, or at your phone, to maintain your dark adaptation The Go Stargazing website also has some of the publicly accessible dark sky sites in the UK.
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Perseid meteor shower to peak today - when and where to see cosmic fireworks
Stuck on our silly little planet in the abyss of space, there's only so much of the universe's wonders we can actually see. But today, the Earth will get a front row seat to something pretty wonderful – a meteor shower, nature's firework display. The Perseid (Per-see-id) meteor shower is one of the strongest meteor showers each year, with as many as 150 colourful shooting stars an hour. It has been active since July 17 and will last until August 24, but its peak, when activity is the greatest, is from tonight to before dawn tomorrow. Space is full of near-endless rubbish: dirt, dust and ice. Sometimes, all this ice gets clumped into one big dirty snowball called a comet. After gravity slings them into our Solar System, they leave behind trails of ice and rock that linger in space for years. Eventually, as the Earth does laps around the Sun, we drift into these particles, which enter the atmosphere at such a speed that they burn up and become shooting stars. This can last for days and even weeks, with the peak being when our planet passes through the densest part of this cosmic debris. Perseid's bright fireballs come from the muck left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle. From our point of view, the meteor shower will come from Perseus, a constellation in the north-eastern sky. The best time to see the Perseids is between 12am and 5.30am. The second the Sun sets, the Perseids will be visible, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich. While you might assume you need telescopes and binoculars, you only need your eyes to see the hundreds of colourful streaks. This expensive kit can obscure your vision, making just looking up the best option. Find somewhere as dark as possible, with a clear horizon, and give your eyes 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness, so maybe dig out a deckchair. How many meteors you'll be able to see, however, depends a lot on where in the UK you live. The shower will be visible everywhere in the UK, like most of the northern hemisphere. Light pollution, however, can make seeing stars, let alone of the shooting kind, next to impossible. Planetariums, astronomy clubs, or even maps like this one can help you find the darkest spots near you. More Trending The Moon could make things tricky, however. While the Full Moon was last week, our lunar neighbour will still be big and bright in the sky. According to timeanddate, the Moon also won't set until about 9/10am, so the lights from the meteor shower will be competing with the Moon. Tools like this one from the Global Meteor Network show how many meteors per hour will be visible. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Perseid meteor shower to peak tomorrow – when and where to see cosmic fireworks in the UK MORE: Scientists have created 'super alcohol' – but your nearest pub is in deep space MORE: Global space race hots up with UK's 'first rocket launch' and moon reactor plans
