The Popular Perseid Meteor Shower Will Peak This Week—Here’s How to Watch, Despite a Bright Moon

A waning gibbous moon will impact viewing the shooting stars, but the famous meteor shower is still worth observing

Sara Hashemi | Daily Correspondent

August 11, 2025

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The popular Perseid meteor shower has been active since July, but the spectacle is expected to reach its peak on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. This year, however, the waning gibbous moon will make viewing more difficult, so be prepared for some of the meteors to appear fainter or be outshined. But astronomers say the shower is still worth catching.

Here are some tips to make the most of the celestial event.

What are the Perseids?

Like other meteor showers, the Perseids occur because the Earth passing through the trail of dust and particles left behind by a comet. For the Perseids, that’s 109P/Swift-Tuttle, a large comet with a nucleus that’s 16 miles across. That’s almost twice the size of the object that took out the dinosaurs, according to NASA.

Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli realized that this comet was the source of the Perseids in 1865. As debris left by the comet streaks through Earth’s atmosphere, it burns up due to air friction, leading to a fiery spectacle. Each annual meteor shower gets its name from its radiant—the point in the sky from which the shooting stars appear to originate—and this time, the meteors will seem to emanate from the constellation Perseus.

The Perseids are considered one of the best meteor showers of the year for viewers in the Northern Hemisphere. They’re known for their bright fireballs and the colorful streaks of light that they leave behind. Perseid meteors also travel quickly, blazing through the sky at 37 miles per second. This year, the Perseids started on July 17 and will go on until August 23. But their activity will be highest this week, from August 12 into August 13.

Tips for viewing

The moon will be just past full as the Perseids peak, which will interfere with sky-watching. Still, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing worth seeing, since the brightest meteors will be the ones that shine through.

“The average person under dark skies could see somewhere between 40 and 50 Perseids per hour,” says Bill Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, in a statement. “Instead, you’re probably going to see 10 to 20 per hour or fewer, and that’s because we have a bright moon in the sky washing out the fainter meteors.”

To get the best view, head out after 10 p.m., though, if you can manage, after midnight would be ideal—NASA writes that the peak hours might be between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. local time. You can also check the Global Meteor Network’s website to see when meteor activity is at its highest.

Once you’re outside, try to find a spot with a wide view of the sky—and get comfortable, since you could be out there for a while. “Don’t go outside and stand,” says Robert Lunsford, an observer with the American Meteor Society, to Ayana Archie at NPR. “You’ll get really tired and bored quick. Get a nice lounge chair where you’re comfortable.”

Once you’re settled in, turn your eyes away from the moon and give them 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Keep your phone away. And stay warm. “You’re going to be sitting there for quite a while, watching,” Michelle Nichols, director of public observing at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, says to Katrina Miller at the New York Times. “It’s going to get chilly, even in August.”

As usual, don’t worry too much if you can’t make it outside—there’s always next year. In fact, the Perseids will peak during a new moon in 2026, so the Earth’s companion shouldn’t impact anyone’s sky-watching plans.

Sara Hashemi | Read More

Sara Hashemi is a science writer and fact-checker currently based in New York City. Her work has appeared in Sierra, The Body, Maisonneuve magazine and more.