Perseids Peak Tonight Under New Moon for Prime Meteor Viewing

The Perseid meteor shower peaks Wednesday night into Thursday, aided by a new moon that minimizes moonlight for ideal viewing. Expect roughly a dozen meteors per hour from suburban skies and 20–25 per hour from dark rural locations, with the best viewing from about 2–4 a.m. No special equipment is needed—find a dark, open sky, give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust, and look up in any direction as the meteors radiate from Perseus. The shower consists of debris from comet Swift-Tuttle burning up high in Earth’s atmosphere and never reaching the ground.