The Perseids are about to peak — here's how to watch the glorious meteor shower without the full moon ruining the show

The annual Perseid meteor display is one of the best-known and commonly observed meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere. But this year, if you want to enjoy the show, it's best to get in early or a little bit late.

The 2025 Perseids will be active from Thursday, July 17, through Saturday, Aug. 23 and will peak on Aug. 12 and 13. But the presence of a near-full moon will make this year's event disappointing, with only the very brightest shooting stars visible.

Typical advice for the peak of a major meteor shower is to head to a location with low levels of light pollution, such as a dark sky place or an area that appears dark on a light pollution map.

However, with August's full Sturgeon Moon on Saturday, Aug. 9, its light will bleach the night sky just as the Perseids' peak gets underway. On the night of the peak, a waning gibbous moon will rise a couple of hours before midnight and be 84% lit, shining brightly all night. It will effectively pollute the night sky with its light, making a trip to escape urban light pollution pointless.

Because of the moon's plan to steal the show, the best way to see the Perseids this year will be both before and after the peak nights. (Although the rate of shooting stars will be much lower in both cases).

After the peak, the waning gibbous moon will begin to move out of the way when it next reaches its last quarter phase on Aug. 16. Although the rates of shooting stars will be on the wane by that time, any clear nights that week should herald at least some views of the celestial light show.

Related: How to photograph a meteor shower

The Perseid meteor shower is known for its fast and bright meteors, which move at a swift 37 miles per second (60 kilometers per second). They're the product of tiny particles left in the solar system by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle striking Earth's atmosphere. As they do, they heat up and vaporize, releasing energy visible as streaks of light in the night sky.

While conditions in 2025 are far from perfect, if you go stargazing when the moon is down — and even when it's up — you'll probably notice one or two of the year's most famous shooting stars.

You don't need a backyard telescope or pair of stargazing binoculars to enjoy a meteor shower. Just get yourself to a dark place, give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust, and look up.

Editor's note: This article was updated on Aug. 6 with new information about the upcoming peak.