The Perseid meteor shower is set to peak at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday, offering a spectacular display of bright meteors in the night sky. However, this year’s event will be less intense due to the timing of its peak coinciding with August’s full moon.
Experts predict that stargazers may see around 10-20 meteors per hour, significantly lower than previous years’ averages of 40-50 meteors per hour. The moon’s waning gibbous phase at 85% illumination will make it more challenging to spot the meteors.
The best viewing times for the Perseids are between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, with two windows of opportunity: a one-hour gap before moonrise on August 12, and the last couple of hours before daybreak. However, due to the moon’s position in the southern sky, stargazers will need to look towards the constellation Perseus in the northern sky to spot the brighter meteors.
This year’s peak coincides with a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, making them appear as two bright planets in the eastern sky before sunrise. Additionally, Saturn will be visible in the late evening hours on Tuesday.
Viewers can also look forward to upcoming meteor showers this year, including the Draconids, Orionids, Southern Taurids, and Geminids. Furthermore, four full moons are scheduled for 2025, with supermoons occurring in October, November, and December.
A total lunar eclipse will be visible in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of eastern South America, Alaska, and Antarctica on September 7 and 8, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Australia, the Atlantic, the Pacific, and Antarctica on September 21.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/12/science/perseid-meteor-shower-peak