Perseids meteor shower 2026
Peak night, up to 100 meteors an hour under a dark sky. The Moon is almost out of the way — a good year.
When
What it is
The Perseids are dust from 109P/Swift–Tuttle. Each year the Earth crosses this stream and the grains burn up 80–100 km above us at 59 km/s. The meteors seem to fly out of Perseus, so the shower is named after it.
How to see it
Go somewhere dark after midnight, lie back and look at the whole sky, not at the radiant. Give your eyes 20 minutes to adapt and don’t look at your phone. The Moon is almost out of the way — a good year.
Check the clouds for that night
See it for your city
See also
Mercury at greatest western elongation, 2 August 2026
Mercury is 19.5° from the Sun — the best time to find it low in the east before sunrise.
Total solar eclipse 12 August 2026
The path of totality crosses Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. Most of Europe, North Africa and the north-east of North America see a partial eclipse.
Venus at greatest eastern elongation, 15 August 2026
Venus is 45.9° from the Sun — the best time to find it low in the west after sunset.
Partial lunar eclipse 28 August 2026
Visible wherever the Moon is up: the Americas, Europe and Africa.
Perseids meteor shower 2027
Peak night, up to 100 meteors an hour under a dark sky. A bright Moon (77%) washes out faint meteors; only the brightest will show.