Perseid Meteor Shower 2024 Date and Time: When Will Perseid Meteor Shower Peak? Where and How To Watch Summer’s Best ‘Shooting Stars’

The Perseid meteor shower, commonly known as the Perseids, is visible annually from mid-July to late August. The Perseids, discovered first in 1862, resulted from ice and rock debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. In 2024, the Perseid meteor shower will be active between July 17 and August 24, with the number of meteors increasing every night until it peaks in mid-August, after which it will tail off.

The radiant of the Perseid Meteor Shower, from which the Perseids appear to come, is the constellation Perseus. The average speed for the meteor is 36 miles per second. The smaller meteors vaporise in Earth's atmosphere and leave behind a bright trail of light, while the larger ones can even explode as fireballs. These sand-sized Perseids are around 1,650 degrees Celsius hot and chart a colourful, streaking, vivid path across the sky as they travel past Earth.

When Is the Best Time To Watch the Perseids Meteor Shower?

The 2024 Perseid Meteor Shower is predicted to peak around the midnights of August 11 and August 12, at 02:00 PM Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and in India, from around 7:30  PM August 12, Indian Standard Time (IST). With the moon 50% illuminated then, the night skies will be ideal for meteor watching until dawn. The best time to catch the Perseids is pre-dawn in the northern skies of the Northern Hemisphere. From the Southern Hemisphere, it is visible in the north-eastern skies. As per NASA, the Perseid shower peaks at an average of 100 meteors per hour. Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower 2024: Meteors to Streak Across Sky; Know Date, Time and If It Will Be Visible in India.

Where and How To Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower?

The Perseid Meteor Shower is best visible in the skies of the US, but some good places to catch the shower in India are Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, and the Marina Beach in Chennai. These showers are also visible from any other similarly open, dark and dust-free place so as to get the best view of clear skies. There is no need for special telescopes or binoculars to catch the meteor showers. National Meteor Watch Day 2024: From Nubra to Coorg, These Places in India Offer Magical Stargazing Experience to Space Enthusiasts.

Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower Live Here:

The Perseid meteor shower, which peaks in mid-August, is considered one of the best meteor showers of the year. According to NASA, a potential Perseid Meteor Storm in 2028 is slated to occur, which will be bigger, brighter and longer than the yearly Perseid Meteor Shower. After the Perseids, the next meteor shower to look out for is the Draconids Meteor Shower from the Comet Giacobini-Zimmer between October 8 and October 10.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 08, 2024 01:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).