How to Watch One of the Best Meteor Showers of the Year

One of the year’s most spectacular meteor showers is about to reach its peak. Here’s what you need to know to get the best view of the Perseid meteor shower.

Although the Perseids began burning up in Earth’s atmosphere in mid-July, it took a few weeks for them to reach their peak. According to EarthSky, this peak is predicted to occur on the night of Sunday, August 11, and continue into the following morning. If you have plans that night, the nights before and after may have slightly fewer meteors, but should still make for some pleasant skywatching. The show should start at around midnight, though the intensity will gradually increase as the night goes on and reach its pinnacle shortly before dawn.

Unfortunately, and as NASA points out, the peak of the shower is set to occur on a night when there will be a 53% waxing Moon, which could have an impact on visibility. However, the Moon is forecast to set before the prime display at dawn, which should allow for quite a few meteors to be seen. Even so, the display isn’t expected to be as grand as what was seen last year.

The meteors are renowned for their bright colors and long tails, as well as for being as plentiful as they are beautiful. During the peak, up to 100 meteors are anticipated to cross the sky every hour, making the shower one of the most bountiful of the year. The Perseids’ only competition on that front may be the Geminids, which take place in mid-December. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the summer weather makes watching the Perseids a much more pleasant option.

The Perseids get their name from the constellation Perseus, which is where they appear to start their voyage across the sky. That point of origin for meteors is called a radiant, but actually has nothing to do with where meteors come from. Meteors are small pieces of rock and dust that get dislodged from a parent comet as it hurtles through space. As the Earth passes through that trail of debris, some of it enters the atmosphere and burns up, creating streaks of light. In the Perseids’ case, that comet is named 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun once every 133 years. If you’d like to see the comet itself, don’t hold your breath—its orbit and the Earth won’t cross paths again until 2125.

Because the Perseids’ radiant is in the northern portion of the sky, the best views of the shower are in the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. However, people in parts of the Southern Hemisphere who live near the equator down to the mid-southern latitudes should still be able to catch a glimpse. NASA recommends heading away from city lights to watch the meteors in a dark location for the best viewing experience. Make sure to check the weather forecast for where you’re headed and dress appropriately, with plenty of water and snacks. Lie on the ground (bring a blanket or towel!), tilt your head back, and enjoy.