Perseid Shower Peaks Tonight

The Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight into the early morning hours, with up to 100 meteors per hour under ideal conditions.

Perseid Shower Reaches Peak Under Moonlit Sky

The Perseid meteor shower peaks on the night of August 12 into the early hours of August 13, with the best viewing between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time. Observers could see up to 100 meteors per hour under ideal conditions, though a bright moon this year will wash out fainter meteors and leave only the brightest fireballs visible. The shower originates from debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle and appears to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky.

No equipment is needed, just a dark sky location and time for your eyes to adjust. A free livestream hosted by the Virtual Telescope Project will begin at 5 p.m. EDT on August 12, providing real time views and commentary. The shower runs from July 17 to August 23, with the peak nights offering the most dramatic displays.

The Perseid display shows how public science outreach has evolved, with livestreams enabling wide access even for city dwellers. Yet the weather and the moon remind us that even spectacular events depend on natural conditions.

This event also highlights a broader trend: interest in astronomy is rising as more people connect with science online. The cost of amateur stargazing is low, while the potential reach of a single meteor shower can be large. The risk is that audiences may treat it as a spectacle rather than a learning moment.

Highlights

The night sky invites us to look up and wonder, together.