The Perseid meteor shower 2025 peaks Aug. 12-13: Here’s what to expect from the dazzling cosmic light show

The Perseids are one of the most visually spectacular meteor showers of the year and are known for spawning impressive fireballs that light up the night sky.

A bright meteor is pictured streaking across a starry night sky over a rocky landscape, as clouds lie low on the horizon.

A Perseid meteor is seen streaking across the sky over Yosemite National Park. (Image credit: Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Get ready stargazers: the Perseid meteor shower peaks next week, Aug. 12-13, bringing up to 100 shooting stars per hour, along with the potential for dazzling fireballs

The Perseid meteor shower occurs each year as Earth barrels through the trail of ancient debris shed by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. These cometary fragments — often no larger than a grain of sand — collide with Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of up to 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second. The resulting friction swiftly vaporizes the debris, creating the bright flashes that we see as fiery “shooting stars”.

Perseid meteors are known for the long wakes that they leave behind as they blaze through the sky. The shower is also famous for producing dramatic fireballs — unusually bright meteors that can outshine even the brightest planets.

This year’s spectacle comes with one major caveat: moonlight. The 80% illuminated waning gibbous moon will rise a few hours before midnight on Aug. 12 and remain high above the southern horizon until dawn, washing out all but the brightest meteors.

Despite the moonlight, the Perseids could still put on a nice show. They will appear to emanate from a point of origin — known as a radiant — located near the star Eta Persei in the constellation Perseus, which climbs high in the summer sky in the hours leading up to dawn around this time of year. Those new to stargazing can find the constellation with the help of a smartphone astronomy app, many of which make use of augmented reality technology to help pinpoint the precise locations of specific stars.

infographic showing perseid meteors radiating from the perseus constellation in the northeastern sky. text in the box on the left reads: The Perseid meteor shower July to August. The Perseid meteor shower appears to radiate from the Perseus constellation in the northeastern sky. The meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky but a line along their path will trace back to Perseus. — The Perseid meteor shower will appear to radiate from the Perseus constellation. (Image credit: Future)

Perseids are best viewed in the hours preceding dawn on Aug. 13, when the radiant is at its highest in the northeastern night sky, though it’s possible to spot meteors belonging to the shower as early as 10 p.m. local time.

You can maximise your chances of seeing meteors with the longest tails by allowing your night vision to adjust in a dark sky location for 30 minutes and gazing approximately 40 degrees above the radiant relative to the horizon. Remember, the width of your clenched fist held at arm’s length against the night sky accounts for approximately 10 degrees.