The Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak late on Saturday night, offering ideal conditions for skywatchers. According to NASA, the first meteors of this year’s shower have already been detected by its All Sky Fireball Network as the Earth passes through the debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. The peak is expected to start at around 11 p.m. local time on Saturday, as stated by Bill Cooke, the leader of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, during an interview with the Associated Press.
This year, the moon will be a waning crescent during the shower, which is different from last year when the full moon hindered visibility of fainter meteors. A bright moon can make it harder to spot the meteors.
“People in the U.S. can reasonably expect to see around 40 Perseids in the hour just before dawn on the peak nights. That’s about one every couple of minutes, which is not bad,” said Cooke. However, he also mentioned that ideal viewing conditions would require being in the countryside, away from cities and suburbs.
During last year’s shower, the full moon significantly reduced visibility, causing rates to drop to ten or fewer meteors per hour in suburban areas.
