Perseid Meteor Shower, August 2025
The shooting stars of August, the Perseid meteor shower, is the brightest and most popular meteor shower of the year. And the best part is you don’t need any special equipment to see it – just your eyes. The Perseid meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through the debris stream left behind by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, a periodic comet which returns to the inner Solar System every 133 years. You may have already seen one of these shooting stars and not realized it! We start seeing a few of these meteors around Mid-July. We see a few more every night until the peak or maximum is reached. This year the maximum will occur on the morning of Tuesday, August 12, and maybe into the morning of Wednesday, August 13. Perseid meteors tend to increase in number as the night goes on. The shower is often best just before dawn. Unfortunately, the Perseids this year won’t be as spectacular as they were last year due to the waning gibbous Moon lighting up the sky all night. The moonlight will allow only the brightest meteors to be seen. Perseids will be visible each night through late August after which Earth is clear of the comet debris field. Just know that the number of Perseids streaking through the night sky tend to fall off rapidly after their peak.
Darkness and patience are the keys to seeing shooting stars. This year find a dark place with as little light pollution as possible – the darker the better – so that the Moon is your only light source. Meteor showers seem to fly away or radiate from a common point in the sky called a radiant. The Perseid meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus giving them their name. The best way to observe the Perseids is to sit or lay with your back or the top of your head towards the northeast, the direction of Perseus at 11:00pm. This allows you to observe as much sky as possible directly above you. This shower is known to produce rich, bright streaks and more fireballs than any other annual meteor shower. So even with the moonlight you may see a few Perseids. Dress for the weather, bring a comfortable chair or blanket and your choice beverage.
While watching for meteors the morning of August 12 look for the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. Venus, the brightest planet in the solar system, and Jupiter, the second brightest planet, will appear very close to each other in the morning sky. This pairing is very bright and will be easy to spot. The two will be rising in the northeast before 4:00AM EDT.
Happy watching!