Overview
- The Perseid meteor shower peaked Wednesday night into early Thursday as Earth crossed debris from Comet 109P/Swift–Tuttle, producing bright, fast meteors across the Northern Hemisphere.
- Observers under dark, clear skies reported dozens to as many as 50–100 meteors per hour, while local cloud cover and urban light pollution sharply reduced counts for many viewers.
- NASA’s Marshall ALaMO livestream provided real-time sky imagery and expert commentary so people blocked by weather or lights could watch the peak, and multiple local videos captured bright meteors, including a widely shared dashcam clip from Istanbul.
- Astronomers urged simple viewing practices to improve chances of seeing meteors: go to a dark site, watch between midnight and pre-dawn, let eyes adapt 20–30 minutes, and avoid telescopes or bright screens.
- The Perseids remain active through Aug. 24 with gradually lower rates, giving people more nights to watch if weather or local conditions limited viewing during the peak.