Overview

• The Perseid meteor shower will peak on the night of August 12–13 as Earth crosses the densest part of Comet Swift-Tuttle’s debris trail.
• A bright waning gibbous Moon at about 80–88% illumination is expected to wash out many fainter meteors and cut visible rates to around 10–35 per hour.
• Observers are advised to watch after midnight until pre-dawn (12 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.), with 2–3 a.m. highlighted as the period of highest activity.
• The UK Met Office forecasts widespread clear skies on peak night, but stargazers should seek out dark sites and use terrain or buildings to block moonlight.
• For those impacted by lunar glare, the period from August 16–24 offers darker skies and lower meteor activity, and virtual streams from networks like the Global Meteor Network provide an alternative.