Perseids 2026: peak night, meteors per hour and where to watch
The Perseids are the best-known meteor shower: warm August nights, up to 100 meteors an hour under a dark sky and many bright fireballs. They are dust from Comet Swift–Tuttle. The radiant in Perseus climbs all night, so rates grow towards dawn. If a full Moon falls on the peak, watch 2–3 nights earlier.
- Peak night
- 12–13 August
- ZHR
- up to 100 an hour
- Moon
- 0% — not in the way
- Active
- 17 July — 24 August
- Radiant
- Perseus · before dawn
- Best time over London
- around 04:05, radiant 66° up
- Under a dark sky
- ≈ 91 meteors an hour
- Speed
- 59 km/s
- Parent
- 109P/Swift–Tuttle
How to see a meteor shower, not three meteors
- 1
Get away from light pollution
The Dark Sky layer on the map shows where it is Bortle 4 or darker, with campsites nearby.
- 2
Wait until after midnight
The radiant climbs towards morning and Earth 'flies into' the dust: two to three times more meteors than in the evening.
- 3
Look away from the radiant
40–60° from the radiant meteors are longer. Lie down, keep warm, give your eyes 20 minutes without a phone.
Perseids FAQ
When do the Perseids peak in 2026?
On the night of 12–13 August; over London the best time is around 04:05, when the radiant in Perseus is 66° up.
How many meteors will I see?
The shower ZHR is 100; over London under a dark sky about 91 an hour, in a city just a few.
Will the Moon get in the way?
No: the Moon is 0% lit and out of the way at the best hours.
Other meteor showers of 2026
Quadrantids · 3–4 JanuaryLyrids · 22–23 AprilEta Aquariids · 5–6 MaySouthern Delta Aquariids · 31 July — 1 AugustAlpha Capricornids · 31 July — 1 AugustDraconids · 8–9 OctoberOrionids · 21–22 OctoberSouthern Taurids · 5–6 NovemberNorthern Taurids · 12–13 NovemberLeonids · 17–18 NovemberDecember Monocerotids · 8–9 DecemberSigma Hydrids · 8–9 DecemberGeminids · 14–15 DecemberUrsids · 22–23 DecemberMeteor showers 2026 →