Meteor shower Perseids — observing times and guide
Perseids visibility on 2026-08-20
Perseids rise and set timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
| Perseids radiant is always above the horizon | ||
Moonrise, 49% illuminated  | 12:56 | 13° |
| Sunset | 17:51 | 7° |
| Civil sunset | 18:20 | 9° |
| Twilight start | 18:53 | 11° |
| Astronomical observing session begins | 19:27 | 13° |
| Perseids radiant is always above the horizon | ||
| Moonset | 22:12 | 31° |
| Astronomical observing session ends | 02:54 | 66° |
| Twilight end | 03:29 | 69° |
| Civil sunrise | 04:01 | 70° |
| Perseids radiant transit | 04:10 | 70° |
| Sunrise | 04:30 | 70° |
Track Perseids Position Throughout the Night
← 20 August 2026 →
| Time | |
| Altitude | |
| Azimuth |
Moon conditions for Perseids — 2026
Meteor visibility depends strongly on the Moon’s position and brightness. This chart helps identify darker observing periods.
Blue and white show night and day; red marks when the radiant is above the horizon, the white line its transit, and grey when the Moon is above the horizon. Select a date for detailed Sun and Moon times.
Observing the Perseids
Radiant position:
- Right Ascension: 03h 01m 59s"
- Declination: 57° 30' 00s
Peak activity: Active from July 22 to August 31; with peak activity around August 10.
Associated parent body: Perseids is produced by debris associated with 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Earth encounters this stream along its orbit.
Perseids — Observation history
Previous activity records show the reported start, peak and end dates. Exact dates may shift slightly from year to year.
| Year | Start date | Peak date | End date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-mm-dd | - | August 12 | - |
| 2003-mm-dd | - | August 12 | - |
| 2008-mm-dd | August 6 | August 11 | August 14 |
| 2009-mm-dd | July 21 | August 11 | September 2 |
| 2010-mm-dd | July 26 | August 12 | August 20 |
| 2015-08-23 | July 17 | August 13 | August 31 |
| 2023-05-01 | July 22 | August 10 | September 2 |
Use these dates as a historical guide and check current predictions near the event.
Data Credits
Meteor data are provided by the International Astronomical Union Meteor Data Center . We thank the observers and researchers who contribute these records.