Meteor Shower
Perseids Meteor Shower
Peak rates of about 100 meteors per hour under ideal dark skies. Radiant in Cassiopeia.
Your local time
12 Aug 2026, 22:17
Universal time
12 Aug 2026, 16:47 UTC
Time since
—
The Perseids are produced by debris from Comet 109P/Swift–Tuttle. Meteors appear to radiate from a point at RA 48°, Dec 58°, entering the atmosphere at about 59 km/s. The quoted zenithal hourly rate of 100 assumes a radiant overhead and a perfectly dark sky; real observed rates are usually lower. No equipment is needed — lie back, let your eyes dark-adapt for 20 minutes and watch a wide patch of sky.
Observation details
- Visibility
- Visible
- Best viewing time
- 13 Aug 2026, 04:47
- Direction to look
- NNE · azimuth 29°
- Altitude at peak
- 11.0°
- Equipment
- Naked Eye
- Zenithal hourly rate
- ~100/hr
- Parent
- Comet 109P/Swift–Tuttle
- Entry velocity
- 59 km/s
- Solar longitude at peak
- 140.00°
The object is 11° above your NNE horizon in a dark sky.
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Photography & observing tips
- •Give your eyes at least 20 minutes to dark-adapt and avoid white light entirely.
- •Look about 40° away from the radiant rather than straight at it — meteors there leave longer trails.
- •For photography use a fast wide lens at f/2.8 or wider, 15–25 second exposures, and shoot continuously.
Event timeline
Times shown in your local timezone, computed from the event geometry.
Activity ramps up
7 Aug 2026, 22:17 · 7 Aug 2026, 16:47 UTC
Peak
12 Aug 2026, 22:17 · 12 Aug 2026, 16:47 UTC
Activity fades
17 Aug 2026, 22:17 · 17 Aug 2026, 16:47 UTC
Other meteor shower events
The nearest occurrences before and after this one.