How and when to watch the Perseid meteor shower | CNN (2024)

How and when to watch the Perseid meteor shower | CNN (1)

The annual Perseid meteor shower is seen in the night sky on August 14, 2023, in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka.

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It’s that time of summer to watch the most anticipated meteor shower of the year: the dazzling display known as the Perseids.

Streams of light and color will travel across the sky while explosions of fireballs linger, leaving behind even brighter streaks than the meteor trails from the Perseids passing through the atmosphere.

Visible annually from mid-July to September 1, the Perseid meteor shower is set to peak between Sunday and before dawn Monday. Up to 100 meteors are expected per hour, moving at a speed of 133,200 miles per hour (214,365 kilometers per hour).

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Bill Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, described the Perseids as the richest meteor shower of the year because of the bright fireballs. It’s “the closest thing each year to a celestial fireworks display,” Cooke said.

Unusually bright meteors, fireballs can surpass 1 meter (3.3 feet) in diameter and are brighter than Venus — according to NASA and Cooke. Venusis one of the most luminous objects in the night sky.

These fireballs are “brighter than any star or planet in the sky,” said Robert Lunsford, the fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society. Like human-made fireworks, fireballs “tend to leave persistent streaks in the sky that will look like smoke and slowly dissipate over a few seconds after the meteor has gone,” Lunsford said.

This year is optimal for watching the shower because moonlight conditions will not wash out faint meteors, allowing viewers to observe both bright and dim ones, Cooke said. “Get in the entire shower this year,” he said, pointing out that last year’s moonlight conditions “kind of shut down the show” and obscured dim meteors.

During the peak of the shower, the moon will be 50% illuminated and will set around midnight — ideal conditions for meteor watching with dark skies contrasting with the balls of light.

“There are meteor showers going all the time, but again, they’re so weak, most people wouldn’t even notice they’re happening,” Cooke said. (In a rare instance last month, however, observers spotted a fireball meteor in broad daylight in parts of the Northeast.)

“This is your best opportunity to see these celestial fireworks, and what they tell us is exactly when we pass through certain orbits of the comet (Swift-Tuttle) that produced these meteors,” Lunsford said. “And besides, it’s kind of fun … like having another Fourth of July.”

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In 1865, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli discovered that the Perseids resulted from Earth passing through debris trails originally released by the comet Swift-Tuttle.

The meteor shower’s name comes from the location in the sky that it appears to originate from — what’s called the radiant — near the constellation Perseus. The constellation can be identified with a stargazing app, which can help viewers pinpoint the shower’s starting point.

How to view the Perseids

NASA’s Cooke recommends four tips for optimal viewing. You don’t need instruments such as a telescope or binoculars, but find the darkest sky you can without light pollution. If you can, lie flat on your back and look straight up, taking in as much sky as possible. Give your eyes 30 to 45 minutes to adapt to the dark. “Don’t look at your cell phone, because that screen ruins your night vision, and it takes your eyes off the sky,” Cooke said.

Lunsford suggested bringing a comfortable chair so you can lie back and enjoy the scene, taking in as much sky in your view. Avoiding sources of light in your viewing location will allow you to see more meteors since most of them are faint, Lunsford said. Otherwise, you will only spot the brightest ones.

The best time to view the shower is after midnight around 2 a.m., when the source of the meteors will be the highest in the northeastern sky, both experts said. “Mother Nature doesn’t respect people’s sleep,” Cooke joked.

Any sky-gazer can see the shower in the Northern Hemisphere, but “the maximum (peak) will be later so the best place to see (it) is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii,” Lunsford said. The Perseids are not visible in Antarctica because the radiant never rises in the view of the sky there, he added.

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Referring to John Denver’s 1970s hit “Rocky Mountain High” with the lyrics of “I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky,” Cooke said, “He’s talking about the Perseids. He saw them from Colorado.

“So they’re good enough to be inserted into a song (and) so that’s good enough reason for me to go outside.”

Remaining meteor showers

Here are upcoming meteor showers, with the dates they are expected to peak:

Draconids: October 7-8

Orionids: October 21-22

Southern Taurids: November 4-5

Northern Taurids: November 11-12

Leonids: November 17-18

Geminids: December 13-14

Ursids: December 21-22

How and when to watch the Perseid meteor shower | CNN (2024)

FAQs

How and when to watch the Perseid meteor shower | CNN? ›

There's no set time for the meteor shower. According to NASA, the Perseids are best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere between midnight and dawn, or after the moon sets.

What time is best to view the Perseid meteor shower? ›

The later the better. The meteor numbers should increase each hour, peaking after midnight. If you can't stay up that late, no worries, there should still be some shooting stars whizzing by between 9 p.m. and midnight. Be on the lookout in the nights after Sunday!

Which way should I face to watch the meteor shower? ›

The space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory suggested facing roughly northeast as you lay down, but to try to take in as much of the sky as possible because meteors can appear all over.

What time tonight is best for the meteor shower? ›

For the best view, NASA recommends watching during the "dark hours" of the day, which in the UK will be from around midnight to 2am. The meteor shower peaks on the night going into 13 August. If skies are clear, it should be visible across the UK.

What are the best nights to see the Perseid meteor shower? ›

The best time to view the Perseids is during the peak nights, which in 2024 are: Sunday, Aug. 11. Monday, Aug. 12.

Which way do you look for the Perseid meteor? ›

In a press release, Regas suggests:
  • Facing south between 2 and 5 a.m. for the best view.
  • Facing east from sunset to midnight.
  • Scanning the sky since meteors can come from many directions.
3 days ago

What direction do you look to see the meteor shower tonight? ›

While the meteors will originate from the northeast, do not look directly at the radiant! Instead, look to the north as the tails will be longer and easier to see.

Where should I point my camera for a meteor shower? ›

Although it's tempting, try not to aim your camera directly towards the radiant, as the meteors closest to the radiant will appear small and unimpressive. Instead, position the radiant towards the edge of the frame, roughly at an angle of around 40 to 60 degrees from the radiant.

Does it have to be dark to see meteor shower? ›

Avoiding sources of light in your viewing location will allow you to see more meteors since most of them are faint, Lunsford said. Otherwise, you will only spot the brightest ones.

Does a meteor shower look like a shooting star? ›

During a meteor shower, many meteors hit the atmosphere in a short period of time, producing the brilliant trails that we fondly call “shooting stars.” Meteor showers are predictable and intensify when the Earth's orbit passes through streams of debris left behind from comets.

What time do you catch meteor shower? ›

The best conditions for catching a meteor shower are a clear sky with no moon or cloud cover, at sometime between midnight and sunrise. (Moonlight affects visibility in the same way as light pollution, washing out fainter sources of light in the sky.)

What does it mean when you see a shooting star alone? ›

Embracing the Present: Shooting stars can encourage living in the moment and appreciating the here and now. Harmony: They may symbolize the need for harmony and balance in one's life. A Time for Reflection: Seeing a shooting star alone can be a call for self-reflection and introspection.

What part of the night sky are the Perseids meteor? ›

The best time to view the shower is after midnight around 2 a.m., when the source of the meteors will be the highest in the northeastern sky, both experts said. “Mother Nature doesn't respect people's sleep,” Cooke joked.

Can you see the Perseid meteor shower from anywhere? ›

That includes the entire northern hemisphere and the northern half of the southern hemisphere. Any further south and you may run into some issues. In short, anywhere where the constellation Perseus is visible in the night sky will be able to see the Perseids meteor shower.

What day is the peak of the Perseid meteor shower? ›

When is the Perseid meteor shower? The Perseid meteor shower begins in mid-July and runs through late August each year. This summer, the Perseids will peak the night of Aug. 12 until before dawn on Aug. 13, according to Space.com.

What date is the peak of the Perseid meteor shower? ›

Aug. 13

How do you photograph the Perseid meteor shower? ›

With your lens's focus set to infinity, and its aperture to around f/2.8 (or as open as possible), choose ISO 800 or ISO 1600 (or even higher if you're in a really dark sky site) and fix the shutter speed to 25sec. Take the shot, and if you're not happy with result as a stand-alone image, make adjustments and re-take.

How rare is the Perseid meteor shower? ›

While spotting a shooting star is often rare, the Perseids are an exciting meteor shower due to the ample opportunities they give stargazers to spot one (or a few) as they whiz through the cosmos. And in clear viewing conditions, approximately 50 to 100 meteors can be seen per hour.

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