Don’t Miss: Perseid Meteor Shower Spectacle Lights Up the Night Sky

The 2024 Perseids meteor shower, peaking on the night of August 11, promises an impressive display, though visibility may be slightly hindered by a waxing moon.

Ideal viewing conditions include dark, clear skies away from city lights, and the shower can be best enjoyed by attending a local viewing party, staying warm, and being patient. Helpful resources from NASA and other astronomy sites offer tips and tools for tracking the shower’s peak.

2024 Perseids Meteor Shower
Are you ready for the 2024 Perseids? Their peak is expected to be on the night of August 11 through the morning of the 12th, with good seeing to be had the nights before and after. You may have already spotted a few Perseids streaking across the summer skies!

This shower, part of the debris stream of comet Swift-Tuttle, actually starts in mid to late July and lasts through most of August. While most of these nights only showcase a few meteors each hour, the peak of the Perseids brings many, many more. How much more? The number actually varies every year; there can be as little as a few dozen per hour, but some rare years bring a brief “burst’ of up to two hundred beautiful “shooting stars” an hour.