The Perseid meteor shower is one of the brightest and fastest meteor showers of the year.
The shower lights up the skies each summer and is known for its fast-moving meteors – often dubbed “shooting stars”.
Here is all you need to know about the meteor shower and how to view it in the UK.
What is the Perseid meteor shower?
The Perseids come from a comet called Swift–Tuttle, which orbits the Sun once every 133 years.
The rocks collide with our own atmosphere at high speeds of between seven and 45 miles per second, causing the meteors to vaporise and leave behind a bright trail of light, also known as shooting stars.
According to Royal Museums Greenwich, the average speed for a Perseid meteor is 36 miles per second.
The air in front of the meteor is squashed and heated to thousands of degrees Celsius.
The Perseid meteor shower will remain active and visible in the skies until August 24, it is expected to peak on August 12. It will bring up to 100 meteors to the night sky.
How to catch a glimpse of the Perseids
The Royal Museums Greenwich has provided its tips on viewing the meteor shower.
One of the best annual meteor showers, the Perseids, will peak this month ☄️
Unfortunately this year, a nearly full Moon will wash out all but the brightest meteors.
However, another favorite annual meteor shower, the Geminids, is poised for Moon-free viewing in December. pic.twitter.com/pcnFEYmzCm
— NASA Langley Research Center (@NASA_Langley) August 5, 2025
Its website says to ensure to check the weather forecast ahead of time, and if the forecast isn’t favourable, find a different location to observe from or view the meteor shower on another day.
However, visibility could be affected by bright moonlight from the recent Sturgeon Moon.
Top tips on viewing the shower include:
Recommended Reading:
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Lie down on a blanket or sit in a lawn chair to ensure that you have a wide view of the sky
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Your naked eye is the best instrument to use to see meteors – don’t use binoculars or a telescope as these have narrow fields of view
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Allow your eyes to adapt to the dark and don’t look at any lights, or at your phone, to maintain your dark adaptation
The Go Stargazing website also has some of the publicly accessible dark sky sites in the UK.
