It’s August, which suggests it is time to mud off your garden chairs and prepare for the finest meteor bathe of the summer season. The annual Perseid Meteor Shower places on one in all the 12 months’s most dazzling shows of capturing stars, with charges of up to 100 meteors per hour below good viewing circumstances. This 12 months, fewer meteors will likely be seen due to mild interference from our good neighbor, the moon. But don’t be concerned—you may nonetheless give you the chance to take pleasure in the spectacle. Here’s what you want to learn about viewing the 2025 Perseid Meteor Shower.
When is the Perseid Meteor Shower?
In 2025, the Perseid Meteor Shower runs from July 17 via August 29, with peak exercise happening from the late night of August 12 via the early morning of August 13.
Generally talking, the finest time to see the Perseids is just before dawn, when their radiant, or the level from which they seem to emanate, is at its highest level in the evening sky. (When the radiant is decrease in the sky, many Perseid meteors will disappear beneath the horizon.) So set your alarm for 3 a.m.—or seize some buddies for a late-night viewing get together.
Unfortunately, a brilliant waning gibbous moon will intervene with this 12 months’s meteor bathe. It will rise in the late night and stay in the sky all through the Perseids’ peak, creating pure mild air pollution and drowning out all however the brightest meteors.
The excellent news is that the Perseids are identified for “fireballs,” or exceptionally brilliant meteors, so it’s best to nonetheless give you the chance to see loads of capturing stars. Per the American Meteor Society, you’ll be able to count on to see between 10 and 20 meteors per hour throughout this 12 months’s peak.
Where can I see the Perseids 2025?
The Perseid Meteor Shower is finest considered from the Northern Hemisphere—you’ll be able to see it from nearly anyplace. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Perseids will solely be seen in the low to mid-latitudes (nearer to the equator).
No matter the place you are positioned, the key to an excellent Perseids present is evident, darkish skies. Those who reside in rural areas are fortunate—they may give you the chance to spot capturing stars proper of their backyards. But for many who reside in suburban or city areas, it’s value touring to a extra remote area devoid of light pollution.
For the best possible Perseids viewing, pay a go to to any of the 230-plus International Dark Sky Places round the world. This prestigious designation is awarded by DarkSky International, a nonprofit that seeks to shield our dark skies from synthetic mild air pollution.
Don’t overlook to test the climate forecast, too. Clouds will definitely scale back or remove Perseid viewing alternatives, so that you may want to relocate to a cloud-free location.
Professional astrologer Steph Koyfman reads your month-to-month horoscope—and spells out the way it might form your travels.
What causes the Perseid Meteor Shower?
Meteor showers happen when tiny bits of rock, ice, or mud from the particles trails of comets or asteroids dissipate in Earth’s ambiance, making a sequence of brilliant streaks throughout the sky. (No, capturing stars aren’t truly stars in any respect!)
The particles that creates the Perseid Meteor Shower comes from the comet 109/PSwift-Tuttle, which orbits the solar each 133 years. Fun reality: Perseid meteors hit the ambiance at a mean pace of 37 miles per second.
The Perseids derive their identify from the constellation Perseus, which is the radiant level of the meteor bathe. If you hint again the path of all Perseid meteors in the path they originated from, you may end up in Perseus.
Viewing ideas for the Perseid Meteor Shower
Once you’ve got recognized a dark, cloud-free spot close to you, search for a wide-open space with few timber or buildings impeding your view of the sky. Simply arrange a garden chair or picnic blanket, lean again, and let your eyes regulate to the darkness. Soon sufficient, you ought to be ready to watch fireballs streak throughout the sky.
And another tip: Don’t fear about binoculars or telescopes. They’ll truly hinder your viewing expertise, as they slender your subject of view. The wider your view, the extra meteors you may give you the chance to spot.
This story has been up to date with new data since its unique publication date.