Perseid Meteor Shower
Look up! We are in the midst of a Perseids Meteor Shower. In 2026, the Perseid meteor shower will happen from 17 July to 24 August. The peak of the annual Perseids meteor shower will be the night of August 12 and the early morning of August 13, 2026.
What Is A Meteor/Meteor Shower?
Meteors occur when small space debris or dust enters the Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrates. We can see this in the nighttime skies as falling or shooting stars. They can be caused by debris as small as grains of sand. When the Earth passes through the tail of debris that follows a comet, a meteor shower occurs. This summer’s Perseids meteor shower is caused by the Earth passing through the tail of the Swift-Tuttle comet. The shower will appear to be coming from the constellation Perseus, therefore the name “Perseids Meteor Shower”.
Want to know about clear skies in your area during the Perseid meteor shower? Check out this resource from the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club.
Other Perseid Meteor Shower Resources
The American Meteor Society has information on the Perseids and other meteor showers.
Seasky.org is packed with information, including the Perseid Meteor Shower schedule through 2030.
