The Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Mid-August. Here’s How You Can Watch It.

A night sky filled with stars is already pretty magical with all those twinkling lights. But add in some shooting stars? It’s even more spectacular.

The annual Perseid meteor shower technically already started on July 17, but there’s one time in particular when the meteor shower may be easier (and even more magnificent) to see.

When and Where to See the Perseid Meteor Shower

The Northern Hemisphere has the best seats in the house when it comes to the Perseid meteor shower. While the meteor shower is expected to continue through August 24, the best time to see shooting stars in 2020: August 11 through August 13.

This will be peak viewing time as the meteors hit Earth’s atmosphere, disintegrate, and appear as big streaks of light, otherwise known as shooting stars.

While the shooting stars may appear anywhere in the night sky, if you want the best chances of seeing them head outside either around midnight (and as far away as you can from city lights!) or before the sun rises.

Then, look to Perseus in the northeastern part of the sky. Perseus is a constellation of stars named after an ancient Greek hero, and it is located near the often-bright constellation of Cassiopeia (either in the shape of W or M).

While cloud cover or the half moon may hide some of the Perseid meteors, chances are we’ll be able to see some shooting stars.

During the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, as many as 50-100 shooting stars can be seen per hour! How fun is that?! I remember watching the Perseid meteor shower with my family as a kid, and my sisters and I loved to compete over who saw the most.

If you happen to miss the Perseid meteors, have no fear. At least two more meteor showers are happening in 2020: the Orionids October 20-21 and the Geminid meteor show December 13-14.