Meteor shower
Perseids
The most-watched shower of the year — warm August nights and bright fireballs.
Next peak Wednesday, August 12, 2026
T-00:00:00:00DHMS
Peak rate
~100 meteors/hr at peak
Active
17 Jul – 24 Aug
Radiant
Perseus
Speed
59 km/s
Parent body
Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle
Moon at peak
Peak-night moon only 0% lit — dark skies favour the shower
About the Perseids
The Perseids are the best-loved shower in the Northern Hemisphere — not because they're the strongest, but because they peak on warm August nights with a reliable 100 meteors an hour and a healthy share of bright fireballs and long trains.
They stream from the constellation Perseus, fed by the enormous Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last rounded the Sun in 1992 and won't return until 2126.
How to watch
- The radiant climbs all night, so rates build steadily towards dawn.
- No equipment needed — just a dark sky, a reclining chair, and patience.
- Avoid bright moonlit years; a full moon near the peak cuts visible rates sharply.