Every summer, the cosmos prepares a spectacle for anyone who's willing to pause and look up after dusk. Starting July 17, the Perseid meteor shower begins its annual display, lighting up the night with sudden streaks of celestial fire. It's a reminder that our planet continues to dance through the remnants of a much older traveler — Comet Swift-Tuttle — whose legacy now returns as ephemeral flashes of brilliance overhead.
What exactly are the Perseids?
At its core, the Perseid meteor shower is a record of cosmic history, with each meteor a tiny piece of dust or debris shed by Comet Swift-Tuttle on its elongated journey around the Sun. As Earth plunges through this ancient trail, particles vaporize in our upper atmosphere, creating blazing light shows that last for fractions of a second but are seared into memory. Sometimes, these meteors can even leave glowing trails, lingering for several moments before fading.
This year's show begins in earnest on July 17 and intensifies night after night, peaking between August 12 and 13. While the Perseids typically promise 50 to 100 meteors per hour at their spectacular height, 2024 comes with a twist: an 84% full moon will light up the sky during the key nights. The moon's brilliance will wash out many of the faintest meteors, but don't lose heart — the most dramatic fireballs, those brightest meteorites that outshine even the moonlight, will still be impossible to ignore.
How to watch the Perseid meteor shower
Catching this cosmic show requires only a little planning and patience. You'll want to find the darkest spot possible, well away from streetlights and city glare. National parks, rural fields, or even quiet suburban yards can all work, as long as your northern and eastern horizons are open.
The best time to watch is after midnight, when the radiant — the area of the sky where the meteors appear to originate, which is near the constellation Perseus — climbs higher. It's a good idea to let your eyes adjust to the darkness for 20–30 minutes, and avoid looking at phone screens or bright lights during this time.
Lie back comfortably on a blanket or reclining chair, with a wide view of the sky. You don't need telescopes or binoculars; the Perseids are best watched with the naked eye, allowing you to take in as much of the sky as possible.
Why the Perseids are special
Even with a nearly full moon in the sky, there's something uniquely awe-inspiring about the Perseids. Warm summer nights, silent anticipation, and the hush that falls as the first streak cuts across the stars. Each meteor is a reminder of the universe's scale and its ancient stories — a fleeting connection with a comet that last visited in 1992 and won't return for another century.
While you may see fewer meteors this year due to the moon's interference, the ones you do witness will likely be among the brightest and boldest. And sometimes, all it takes is a single shooting star to reconnect us with wonder, hope, and perspective.
So, bring friends or family, a warm drink, and lie back beneath the summer sky. Let yourself be amazed by a night that promises, even in moonlight, to deliver magic from the edge of space.