Search! The Perseid meteor shower is finally active, creating the potential for magnificent shooting stars and fireballs as Earth plunges into the trail of debris left behind by the icy comet Swift-Tuttle. Here’s what you need to know.
The 2026 Perseid meteor shower will be a truly magnificent event and a stark contrast to last year, when moonlight drowned out all but the brightest shooting stars. The shower will reach its peak activity on the night of August 12-13 under the dark sky of the new moon. During peak weather, up to 100 shooting stars can be seen cutting fiery paths across the summer sky every hour, according to the American Meteor Society.
You might even spot the Perseid brightening the false twilight created at the culmination of the August 12 eclipse as the Moon perfectly obscures the surface of our parent star. But for this to happen, you will have to be in the path of totality at the moment when a large meteorite, creating a fireball, crashes into the Earth’s atmosphere. It’s certainly possible, but let’s just say that the odds are stacked against you.
If you are not on the path of totality, then there is no need to despair, you have a much better chance of discovering the Perseids the old-fashioned way anyway!
How to spot Perseid shooting stars
Perseid meteors can be seen any time after dark, starting tonight, streaking or shining from a patch of sky near the red supergiant Eta Persei in the constellation Perseus.
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To find the best meteors, you’ll first need to find Perseus, shining above the northwest horizon after dark. Then find a patch of sky at a 40-degree angle above it and get ready to see one of the biggest natural light shows of the year. This is where the trails of shooting stars will be longest.
The Perseids are also known for producing bright green fireballs that can briefly turn night into day as larger pieces of debris collide with Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of up to 37 miles per second (59 kilometers per second).
When to Look for Perseid Meteors
Perseid meteors can be seen any time starting at 10 p.m. for viewers in the U.S., although the number of visible shooting stars will be higher in the predawn hours when the radiant rises to its highest point in the summer night sky. Try to stay away from city lights and give your eyes at least 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness.
In the days after the rain wakes up, relatively few shooting stars will be visible compared to the peak. However, if you catch it, you will see the death of a meteoroid that likely flew through space for thousands of years before reaching Earth.
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“The meteors we see early and late in the activity are most likely the oldest because they were apparently diverted from the main orbit of the comet we encountered in mid-August,” Robsert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society said in an email to Space.com.
The greatest number of meteors can be seen in the predawn hours of August 13, when the shower reaches its peak activity as the Earth passes through the densest part of the debris flow left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle.
Want to take your own photos of the Perseid meteor shower? Then be sure to read our guide detailing how to photograph shooting stars, as well as our reviews of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s note: Have you taken a photo of Perseid and want to share it with Space.com readers? Then send your photos and comments, along with your name and location, to spacephotos@space.com.