Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 21
Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks Aug. 12-13 With Up to 100 Meteors an Hour
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 21

Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks Aug. 12-13 With Up to 100 Meteors an Hour

3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 21

Summary

  • Aug. 12-13 is the expected peak for the Perseids, when 50 to 100 meteors an hour can be visible under clear, dark skies.
  • Swift-Tuttle debris drives the display as Earth passes through dust from the comet, whose particles burn up in the atmosphere and create bright streaks.
  • NASA says the shower is among the year's best because its fast meteors often leave long wakes and can produce brighter, longer-lasting fireballs.
  • July 17 to Aug. 23 marks the broader Perseids season, with the best viewing in the Northern Hemisphere before dawn from dark locations facing the northern sky near Perseus.

Insights

A solar eclipse and meteor shower peak on the same day. How can you see this rare celestial double-header this August?
While we watch for meteors, is our own light pollution quietly erasing the night sky and harming global wildlife?