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—estimated meteors per hour
Estimate, not a guarantee. It starts from the IMO peak ZHR and adjusts for your conditions.
Live sky calculator · Perseids 2026
Meteor Shower Tonight: Will You See the Perseids?
Check the best viewing time, radiant direction, Moon interference, cloud cover, and a realistic meteor estimate for your exact location.
Exact location
Moon + radiant
Cloud forecast
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Your night, calculated
Find the best time to watch
Choose a location and night. The result combines astronomical darkness, radiant altitude, Moonlight, weather, and your sky brightness.
Perseids active now
Quick locations:
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Visibility outlook
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Night timeline
How conditions change hour by hour
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Your viewing plan
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Peak window13 August 2026 · 02:00–04:00 UTC
The IMO lists a main maximum between 02:00 and 04:00 UTC. Your best local hour may differ because darkness and radiant altitude change by location.
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A practical Perseids viewing plan
You do not need a telescope. A dark, open sky and enough time for your eyes to adapt matter much more.
Get away from direct lights
Choose the darkest safe place available. Even moving from a city centre to a rural edge can multiply the number of visible meteors.
Give your eyes 20–30 minutes
Avoid phone screens and bright flashlights. Use a dim red light only when necessary.
Watch a wide area
Use the direction as a guide, then look 30–60 degrees away from the radiant. Meteors there have longer, more visible trails.
Stay for at least one hour
Meteor activity arrives in clusters with quiet gaps. A reclining chair, warm layer, and patience improve the experience.
Transparent methodology
What the score actually measures
The calculator does not invent a fixed “meteors tonight” number. It evaluates the sky in 15-minute steps and finds the strongest two-hour window.
A date-based Perseids activity model anchored to the IMO ZHR 100 maximum.
Radiant altitude, astronomical darkness, Moon illumination, and Moon altitude calculated locally in the browser.
Your chosen light-pollution level and, when available, cached cloud, wind, and precipitation data.
Quick answers
Perseids 2026 FAQ
Conditions can change quickly. Recheck the calculator on the same day for the latest cloud forecast.
When do the Perseids peak in 2026?
The International Meteor Organization lists the main maximum on 13 August from about 02:00 to 04:00 UTC. The shower is active from 17 July to 24 August.
Will I really see 100 meteors per hour?
A ZHR of 100 describes an ideal dark sky with the radiant overhead. Most real observers see fewer because the radiant is lower, some sky is blocked, and light pollution or clouds reduce visibility.
Can I see the Perseids from the Southern Hemisphere?
The shower is strongest in northern latitudes. Some southern locations can see Perseids when the radiant rises above the northern horizon, but rates are lower and far-southern locations may have little or no useful visibility.
Do I need binoculars or a telescope?
No. Meteors can cross a large area of sky, so the unaided eye gives the widest view. Binoculars and telescopes make the field of view too narrow.
Why is the weather forecast missing?
Forecasts appear only when the selected night is inside the available forecast window. The astronomical result still works for every date in the active period.
Sources and calculation notes
Perseids activity dates, peak window, radiant, velocity, and ZHR are based on the International Meteor Organization 2026 calendar. Sun, Moon, and horizon geometry use locally bundled Astronomy Engine 2.1.19. Location search is credited to Open-Meteo; weather data is credited to MET Norway.
2026 viewing guides
Plan the whole night
Use the live calculator for your location, then open the guide that matches your country, travel plan or camera setup.