How and When to View the Perseid Meteor Shower (August 2026)

In summation to a historical full star eclipse, August besides features 1 of the astir spectacular meteor showers of the year. On the nighttime of August 12 and into the aboriginal greeting of August 13, astronomy enthusiasts successful the bluish hemisphere and parts of the confederate hemisphere volition beryllium capable to respect the Perseids during a peculiarly favorable viewing window.

Occasionally, Earth passes done the trails of particles near down by immoderate comets arsenic they question done the star system. When these tiny fragments participate Earth’s atmosphere, friction with the aerial heats them until they pain up. From below, it looks arsenic though the entity is filled with agleam flashes streaking crossed the heavens astatine precocious speed. These are meteor showers. There are respective passim the year, and the 1 successful August is called the Perseids.

Although a meteor ablution is 1 of the fewer astronomical phenomena that tin beryllium observed with the bare eye, it is not ever casual to track. To bask it to the fullest, it’s a bully thought to travel immoderate basal recommendations for stargazing.

This Year’s Perseids Are Especially Visible

Traditionally, the Perseids scope a complaint of up to 100 meteors per hr during their highest activity—at least, nether perfect viewing conditions. This makes them 1 of the 3 astir aggravated meteor showers of the year, on with the Geminids successful December and the Quadrantids successful January.

In 2026, the viewing conditions are peculiarly favorable. The highest of activity, expected connected the nighttime of August 12–13, volition coincide with the caller satellite phase. This means that virtually nary of the moon’s illuminated broadside volition beryllium disposable from Earth, truthful determination volition beryllium nary moonlight to interfere with meteor viewing. In different words, the entity volition beryllium overmuch darker than usual.

What’s the Best Way to View the Perseids?

The main proposal from NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) for enjoying a meteor ablution is to get distant from airy pollution. Ideally, caput retired of the metropolis and find a spot with acheronian skies, arsenic good arsenic a skyline that’s arsenic unobstructed arsenic imaginable to guarantee a wide tract of view.

Keep successful caput that it takes the quality eyes 20 to 30 minutes to afloat set to the dark. Once that clip has passed, it volition beryllium easier to spot faint meteors. While observing, it’s besides advisable to debar utilizing your compartment telephone oregon different agleam screens, arsenic they trim your eyes’ sensitivity.

Another important extremity is to debar utilizing telescopes and binoculars. Although they mightiness look useful, NASA explains that these instruments constrictive your tract of view, whereas meteors tin look anyplace successful the sky. It’s champion to observe with the bare eye.

Although the Perseids get their sanction due to the fact that they look to radiate from the constellation Perseus, it is not indispensable to look toward it. Both NASA and the ESA constituent retired that meteors tin streak crossed immoderate portion of the sky. Ideally, prevarication down oregon usage a reclining seat to observe a wide information of the sky, preferably aft midnight, erstwhile the meteor shower’s radiant reaches a higher constituent supra the skyline and the frequence of disposable meteors increases.

Finally, the agencies punctual america that patience is besides portion of the experience. Meteors bash not look astatine a dependable rate. Several minutes whitethorn walk without immoderate activity, and past suddenly, respective whitethorn beryllium seen successful speedy succession. Staying nether a acheronian entity for astatine slightest an hr offers the champion accidental of enjoying the show.

This communicative primitively appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.