Perseid meteor shower to peak this week, with prime viewing conditions
The Perseid meteor shower is set to peak Wednesday night into Thursday morning, coinciding with favorable dark-sky conditions from a new moon. The same night also brings a total solar eclipse and a six-planet alignment.
One of the most anticipated meteor showers of the year, the Perseids, will reach its peak overnight Wednesday into Thursday. This year's viewing conditions are unusually favorable, as the peak coincides with a new moon, meaning no moonlight will wash out the night sky.
According to NASA, up to 50 to 100 meteors per hour could be visible under ideal conditions. The American Meteor Society estimates that observers in rural parts of the US could see 30 to 50 meteors per hour.
What causes the Perseids
The Perseids are debris left behind by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years and is not due to return until 2125. Records of this meteor shower go back more than 2,000 years.
The display happens when Earth passes through a trail of icy and dusty debris left by the comet. These particles burn up at high speed in the atmosphere, creating the streaks of light known as shooting stars. The Perseids are especially popular because they often produce bright fireballs, and because they occur during warm summer nights.
How to watch
Experts recommend heading outside after dark, away from city lights and clouds. The best viewing window is between midnight and dawn, when the constellation Perseus — from which the meteors appear to radiate — is high in the northern sky.
Viewers should allow their eyes about half an hour to adjust to the darkness, focus on one patch of sky rather than scanning around, and avoid looking at phone screens. The same night also features a total solar eclipse visible from Spain, Iceland and Greenland, along with a six-planet alignment, though the best meteor viewing will come after the eclipse's totality has passed.
