2025 Perseid Meteor Shower

Outdoor fun for the whole family!

Full viewing range: July 17th – August 24th

Peak viewing: Night of August 12th into August 13th

From about July 17 through August 24, Earth is orbiting through the debris left behind by Comet Swift- Tuttle. The particles of debris are small, like grains of sand and usually no bigger than a pea. When they encounter our atmosphere at 59 kilometers per second, friction causes these tiny bits to heat up. They glow bright like a shooting star and sometimes leave smoke trails. Larger pieces can break up into smaller ones, so you just never know what you’ll see!

The best way to view a meteor shower is to first pick a safe, dark location, away from any lights and with a clear view of the sky above. The Perseid (Per-see-id) meteor shower is considered the best one of the year because of the high meteor count. This year, astronomers are predicting a rate of 150 meteors per hour across North America! They often leave long trails. Even so, you must be patient. You could wait ten minutes and not see one and then all of a sudden, zzzzipp one streaks across the sky and then another. That is part of the excitement.

Watching the meteor shower with others is always fun. It is a good idea to have an extra layer of clothing in case it gets cool and insect repellent may be in order, although not so much in the pre-dawn hours. Some sources will tell you to face the constellation Perseus, seen in the east, after midnight. In my experience, I have found that laying down or reclining, so that you can look straight up, is usually best.

Another tip is to get outside during the wee early morning hours after midnight. Think of Earth as a car flying on a celestial highway. When you look up during those wee hours you are beginning to look in the same direction that Earth is traveling …looking out the front windshield. You are facing forward and that equals more meteors …no different than catching bugs on your car’s windshield.

When to watch:

This year, the peak of the meteor shower will be the night of August 12th. However, this year, the peak also coincides with an almost full moon, which can make seeing the meteors more difficult. While you’re still likely to see some amazing meteors during the peak, some experts are suggesting going out a bit later, maybe the following week, when the moon is not as bright.

If you can’t make it out the night of August 12th, it’s too cloudy, or the moon is too bright – don’t worry! Just keep an eye out for another clear dark night. As seen from the image above, Earth encounters comet debris from Swift-Tuttle for quite a few weeks.

Links for more information:

https://apnews.com/article/perseids-meteor-shower-a8097e1108b23ac41dc9a06c7a221106

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/perseids/