The Perseids are the kind of summer event that makes you want to cancel plans, drive to the middle of nowhere, and just stare up at the sky until your neck hurts. Most years, they throw dozens of meteors across the sky every hour. This year, though, the full moon is making an appearance and leaving its high beams on.

The shower peaks the night of August 12 into the morning of August 13. Usually, that’s when you’d catch the most action, but the moon will rise almost as soon as the sky darkens. In New York, for example, sunset on the 12th is at 8:27 p.m., and by 10:01 p.m., the moon will be glowing at 84 percent brightness, according to Time and Date. That means no long stretch of true darkness to let your eyes adjust.

Moonlight drowns out the faint meteors, so you’ll mostly see the bold,

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