Perseid Meteor Shower

From July 17 to August 24, 2025, the Northern Hemisphere will experience the Perseid meteor shower. The best viewing times will be on August 12 and 13, when there will be a possible peak of 75 meteors an hour. However, the Moon will be in its gibbous (between half and full) phase, so only the brightest meteors will be visible. To see the most meteors, find a dark place far from city lights, and look northeast. You do not need binoculars or a telescope. The shower is best viewed with the naked eye because it happens over a large area of the sky, and binoculars or a telescope allow you to see only a small part of the sky.

The Perseids are caused by dust left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle when it passes through the solar system every 133 years. It last passed through in 1992. As Earth passes through the dust trail, the meteors seem to come from a point called a radiant in the constellation Perseus, hence the name of the shower. The radiant is where Earth’s orbit intersects the orbit of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli demonstrated in 1867 that the Perseids and Comet Swift-Tuttle are connected.

The earliest recorded observations of the Perseids were made by Chinese astronomers in 36 ce. The constellation Perseus is named for the Greek hero who slew Medusa and rescued the princess Andromeda from a sea monster. The Perseids have also been called the “tears of St. Lawrence,” in reference to a Christian martyr whose feast day is on August 10.

Learn More About This Topic

1. When can I see other meteor showers?
2. What beautiful object leaves behind the meteor shower?
3. Was that a meteor, meteoroid, or meteorite? Help me out!