How to spot the Perseid meteor shower, a summer light show that promises to dazzle
The Perseid summer light show is back — and viewing conditions are especially promising for the Northern Hemisphere.
The meteor shower’s peak Wednesday night into Thursday morning coincides with a total solar eclipse across Spain, Iceland and Greenland and a six-planet parade — though the best time to view the fireballs will come after totality.
For the solar eclipse, areas along the North Shore, such as Grand Marais, will see only approximately 5.7% totality, said Astro Bob in an Aug. 4 interview with WTIP. Further north in Grand Portage, he said, “You’re a little tiny bit closer to the eclipse path,” by about 6.5%. The solar eclipse will occur on Aug. 12 and be visible starting in Grand Marais at 11:37 a.m.
Later in the evening on Aug. 12, as many as 50 to 100 meteors per hour may be visible under ideal conditions, according to NASA. The American Meteor Society estimates 30 to 50 meteors per hour could be seen from rural regions.
Random meteors are visible in dark skies on any given night. Meteor showers tend to put on dazzling celestial shows and happen at predictable times every year when the Earth plows through trails of debris left behind by comets and, sometimes, asteroids. Those remnants collide with Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds, producing streaks of light known as shooting stars.
“It’s just a wonderful meteor shower,” said Astro Bob. “It’s one of the richest of the year.”
The Perseids are debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, an icy ball that orbits the sun every 133 years and isn’t scheduled for a return visit until 2125. Observations of this meteor shower date back over 2,000 years.
The Perseids are a perennial favorite because they tend to produce brilliant fireballs. Summer temperatures also make this shower popular.
“We don’t have to suffer through a cold winter night to get a good view of meteors,” said astronomer Zach Vanderbosch with McDonald Observatory in Texas.
The moon will be in its new moon phase during the Perseids’ peak, making viewing conditions even better.
To spot the meteors, go outside after dark, away from clouds and city lights.
The best views will be between midnight and dawn when the constellation Perseus is high in the northern sky. The meteors will appear to radiate from that constellation.
Look up and give your eyes a half hour to adjust to the darkness. Vanderbosch recommends picking a patch of sky to focus on until a quick, bright streak passes by — even in your peripheral vision — and to avoid looking at your phone.
“There’s just something magical about it,” Vanderbosch said.
This map shows the Perseids’ visibility across different latitudes | Graphic by StarWalk
The Perseid meteor shower coincides with the arrival of the Dark Sky Caravan along Minnesota’s North Shore. The annual event is hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium and will make stops at Split Rock Lighthouse, Tettegouche State Park, North House Folk School in Grand Marais, and two locations up the Gunflint Trail between Aug. 10 and Aug. 15.
The event includes interactive activities, presentations, and planetarium shows. Learn more here.
WTIP spoke with Robert King, commonly known as ‘Astro Bob’ on August 4 ahead of the Perseid meteor shower and solar eclipse event. Bob is a photographer, writer and amateur astronomer living in Duluth, MN. Audio below.
Deane Morrison is a science writer at the University of Minnesota. She also authors the Minnesota Starwatch column and contributes to WTIP bi-weekly on the Monday North Shore Morning program through “Northern Sky,” where she shares what’s happening with stars, planets, and more.
Listen to the latest August feature which includes insights into the Perseid meteor shower below.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kalli Hawkins August 11, 2026
