Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Under New Moon, Lighting Up Northern Skies
The Perseid meteor shower, produced by debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, is set to peak Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with NASA forecasting 50–100 meteors per hour under ideal dark-sky conditions and the American Meteor Society noting 30–50 per hour from rural US sites. The event coincides with a total solar eclipse across Spain, Iceland and Greenland and a “six-planet parade,” with the best viewing after totality. A new moon will keep sky glow low, so the prime viewing window is between midnight and dawn as Perseus climbs high in the northern sky; find a dark patch away from city lights, let your eyes adjust for about 30 minutes, and avoid looking at your phone.
