Perseids 2026
The most-watched shower of the year: warm August nights, a high northern radiant, and reliable bright, fast meteors.
Maximum: August 13, 2026 Active: Jul 17 – Aug 24
Viewing from New York
The Perseids reach maximum on August 13, 2026, with a peak rate of up to 100 meteors per hour under ideal dark skies (active Jul 17 – Aug 24). The Moon is out of the way for most of the peak night, leaving dark skies. A favourable year. Rates stay elevated for several nights either side of the maximum, so you do not need to catch the exact peak night.
Nominal ZHR
100/hr
Moon
1% New Moon
Moon interference
Minimal (good)
Moon conditions computed for New York, 2026.
About the Perseids
Active
Jul 17 – Aug 24
Radiant (J2000)
3h 12m, +58°
Velocity
59 km/s
Nominal ZHR
100 / hour
Population index
r = 2.2
Parent body
Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle
The date of maximum is taken from the IMO Working List of Visual Meteor Showers; the radiant, velocity and parent body come from the IAU Meteor Data Center. Only the Moon phase and interference are computed for the year and location shown.