A meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower in 2021, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.

By Joe Lombardi From Daily Voice

Set your alarm and find a dark sky: the Perseid Meteor Showers hit their peak overnight, with bright fireballs likely even under a full moon.

The annual display happens as Earth plows through dusty debris shed by Comet Swift-Tuttle. 

Peak activity is expected from about midnight to predawn Wednesday, Aug. 13. The highest activity is often observed between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. local time.

A waning but still 84 percent full moon will wash out many faint streaks, trimming rates to roughly 20 meteors per hour versus the usual 60-plus. 

Still, patient observers should catch a handful of long, bright meteors and occasional fireballs.

Viewing tips from NASA and veteran skywatchers:

  • Go to the darkest site you can, away from city lights.
  • Face northeast, lie back, and give your eyes 20 minutes to adapt.
  • Skip binoculars; meteors are best with a wide, naked-eye view.
  • Bring a lounge chair. 

Under ideal, moon-free conditions, the Perseids can top 75 meteors an hour, one reason the shower is a summer favorite. 

A bonus this year: Venus and Jupiter form a close conjunction at the same time, turning the mid-August sky into a compact lesson in planetary motion and cosmic dust.

If clouds intrude, don’t worry. The planets will remain within a few degrees of each other through the week, and the Perseids continue at lower rates until about Sunday, Aug. 24. 

For the best chance at a show, watch after midnight when the radiant climbs higher and the moon begins to set.