Stargaze › Meteor Showers › Perseids
Peak: 12 August 2026, around 20:00 UTC
Active: 17 July 2026 – 24 August 2026
Rate at peak: up to 100 meteors/hour (ZHR)
Speed: 59 km/s ·
Parent body: Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle ·
Radiant: Perseus
The most watched meteor shower in the world, and for good reason. Up to 100 meteors an hour, warm summer nights, and no need for any equipment. People have been watching the Perseids since 36 AD, when medieval monks recorded them as 'the tears of Saint Lawrence.'
Grab a blanket, find a dark field, and lie on your back. The radiant in Perseus rises northeast around 11 PM. After midnight the rates roughly double as Earth rotates into the incoming stream head-on. Look about 45 degrees away from the radiant to catch meteors with longer trails. Dark rural skies give you four times the meteors compared to suburban gardens.
Perfect for northern hemisphere observers. Warm August nights mean people actually go outside for this one. The radiant in Perseus rises northeast around 11 PM and climbs all night.
Exceptional years in 1991, 1992, and 1993 saw rates exceeding 500 ZHR. The 2016 outburst hit 150 to 200. A denser filament pass is predicted around 2028, which could be a spectacular year to watch.
The Perseids peak on 12 August 2026 at around 20:00 UTC. The shower is active from 17 July 2026 to 24 August 2026.
Under dark skies at peak you can expect up to 100 meteors per hour (ZHR). Light pollution and moonlight reduce that figure.
The radiant lies in the constellation Perseus, but meteors appear across the whole sky. Grab a blanket, find a dark field, and lie on your back. The radiant in Perseus rises northeast around 11 PM. After midnight the rates roughly double as Earth rotates into the incoming stream head-on. Look about 45 degrees away from the radiant to catch meteors with longer trails. Dark rural skies give you four times the meteors compared to suburban gardens.