For Northern Hemisphere observers, August is often thought to be “meteor month” with probably the greatest shows of the yr reaching its peak close to midmonth. That show is, after all, the annual Perseid meteor bathe beloved by everybody from meteor fans to summer time campers. However sky watchers beware: you’ll be dealing with a serious impediment in your try to look at this yr’s Perseid efficiency, particularly, the moon.
Sadly, as luck would have it, 2025 will see the moon flip full on Aug. 9 and might be at a fairly vivid waning gibbous section just a few nights later, significantly hampering commentary of the height of the Perseids, predicted to happen for the in a single day hours of Monday Aug. 11, into the predawn hours of Tuesday morning, Aug. 12.
In actual fact, a waning gibbous is simply concerning the worst moon phase for meteor observing.
The moon will be 89% illuminated and hovering below the Great Square of Pegasus and to the upper right of the planet Saturn that night, and not all that far from the constellation Perseus, from where the meteors will appear to dart from (hence the name “Perseid”). As such, bright moonlight will flood the sky through most of that key night and will certainly play havoc with any serious attempts to observe these meteors. So, sadly, the moon intervenes to spoil the Perseids’ best, even if we get clear skies.
A 1968 redux?
Back in 1968, when the Perseids were at their peak, the moon was at the same phase it will be this year. To get an idea of what type of activity occurred in that year — and what might be expected for this year — New York’s Hayden Planetarium sponsored a meteor watch on the Great Lawn in Central Park. “Esthetically as well as astronomically, the night seemed perfect,” wrote a reporter for The New York Times. Dr. Kenneth L. Franklin, assistant chairman of the Planetarium told an audience of 85 sky watchers the meteors would come “at the rate of one every minute or two, but with the bright moon maybe it will be on the order of one every minute or three.” But according to the reporter for The Times, “It was on the order of one every minute or eight.”
Quality versus quantity
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Moonlight, however, only hides faint meteors. But a fair number of Perseids are typically fast, bright and occasionally leave persistent trains. Such bright, streaky Perseids can burn right through a moonlit sky. Notes Guy Ottewell in his popular annual publication Astronomical Calendar 2025: “Perseid meteors are swift, which helps to distinguish them from the far less numerous Aquarids and Capricornids of the same time. Many are bright; white, yellow, green, red, orange; leave spectacular long-lasting trains; end in flares.”
And every once in a while, an outstandingly bright Perseid fireball will blaze forth, bright enough to be very impressive and more than capable of attracting attention even in bright moonlight. So, if you’re willing to forego quantity, a meteor watch in the moonlight might still offer quality.
Even more unfortunate, because the moon is full on Aug. 9, means that it will always be above the horizon during the predawn morning hours (when Perseid viewing is always at its best) even in the few days before the peak. Which means that even the gradual increase in the shower will be spoiled by moonlight. The moon arrives at last quarter on Aug. 16 and thereafter its light becomes much less objectionable, but by that time the peak of the display has long since passed, leaving only a few lingering Perseid stragglers in its wake.
Active since mid-July
The Perseids are already round, having been lively solely in a really weak and scattered type since round July 17. However a noticeable upswing in Perseid exercise begins throughout the second week of August, main as much as their peak night time.
As at all times, the most effective time to look at for Perseids is from 11 p.m. or midnight straight on till the primary mild of daybreak. The meteors will seem anyplace within the sky, so simply organize to look at the sky in a path the place the moon does not get in your eyes.
Within the absence of moonlight, a single observer would possibly see 45 to 90 meteors per hour on the height night time, a quantity that sadly can’t be hoped to be approached in 2025.
A lot better viewing subsequent yr
However in 2026, it is going to be a a lot completely different story, as the height night time will coincide with a brand new moon (and a solar eclipse!), meaning that skies will be dark and meteors plentiful.
As they used to say in Brooklyn, when the Dodgers used to play at old Ebbets Field: “Just wait till next year!”
In the meantime, clear skies late on Monday night and enough personal stamina to stay awake should afford a view of a least a few celestial streakers, courtesy of one of the flashiest meteor showers of the year. And don’t forget to look for the eye-catching conjunction of Jupiter and Venus low in the east-northeast sky a few hours before sunrise; a fitting “consolation prize” to go with the moonlit Perseids of 2025.
Good luck!
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, Sky and Telescope and different publications.
