The Perseid meteor shower is an annual event that takes place in August when the Earth passes through the debris field left behind by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids are one of the most prolific meteor showers, with up to 100 meteors visible per hour at peak times. The best time to view the Perseids is usually around 2am local time.
The name “Perseid” comes from the constellation Perseus, which is where the meteors appear to originate from in the sky. The Perseids are active each year from July 17th to August 24th, with peak activity occurring on August 12th/13th.
Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle was discovered in 1862 and is thought to be responsible for creating not only the Perseid meteor shower but also several other well-known meteor showers such as the Leonids and Quadrantids. Swift-Tuttle orbits the sun every 133 years and last passed close to Earth in 1992. It will next come close to our planet in 2126.
As Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle approaches the sun, it warms up and sheds ice and dust particles into space. These particles form a debris field known as a comet tail, which extends out behind Swift-Tuttle in its orbit around the sun. Every year in August, Earth passes through this debris field, causing some of these particles to enter our atmosphere and burn up producing streaks of light across the night sky – aka shooting stars!