Attractions
Perseid Meteor Shower
In the Sky above Lake Tahoe, CA & NV
South Lake Tahoe, California 96150August 11
12:00 am - 11:59 pm
January 15 @ 12:17 am
The annual Perseid meteor shower is one of the most beloved meteor showers of the year, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, where the shower peaks on warm summer nights. No matter where you live worldwide, the 2024 Perseid meteor shower will probably produce the greatest number of meteors on the mornings of August 12 and 13.
Though the moon will be 50% illuminated at the time of the Perseids’ peak, it will set around midnight, so there will be dark skies until dawn — perfect for meteor hunting!
Predicted peak: The peak is predicted** for 20 UTC on August 12, 2025. So the mornings of August 11 and 12 are probably your best bets. August 13 might be good as well, but be aware that the Perseids tend to fall off rapidly after their peak.
When to watch: The moon will be a waning gibbous during 2025’s peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Many Perseids are bright, so if the moon is up, try blocking it out to enhance your viewing. This shower rises to a peak gradually, then falls off rapidly. And Perseid meteors tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into the wee hours before dawn. The shower is often best just before dawn.
Radiant: The radiant rises in the middle of the night and is highest at dawn. See chart below.
Nearest moon phase: The full moon falls at 7:55 UTC on August 9.
Duration of shower: July 14 to September 1. This time period is when we’re passing through the meteor stream in space!
Expected meteors at peak, under ideal conditions: Under a dark sky with no moon, skywatchers frequently report 90 meteors per hour, or more. The August Perseid meteor shower is rich and steady, from early August through the peak. The meteors are colorful. And they frequently leave persistent trains. All of these factors make the Perseid shower perhaps the most beloved meteor shower for the Northern Hemisphere.
Learn why famous meteor showers like the Perseids and Leonids occur every year
When you sit back to watch a meteor shower, you’re actually seeing the pieces of comet debris heat up as they enter the atmosphere and burn up in a bright burst of light, streaking a vivid path across the sky as they travel at 37 miles (59 km) per second. When they’re in space, the pieces of debris are called “meteoroids,” but when they reach Earth’s atmosphere, they’re designated as “meteors.” If a piece makes it all the way down to Earth space.com/18507-meteor-showers-shooting-stars-infographic without burning up, it graduates to “meteorite.” Most of the meteors in the Perseids are much too small for that; they’re about the size of a grain of sand.
What do you need to see them?
The key to seeing a meteor shower is “to take in as much sky as possible,” Cooke said. Go to a dark area, in the suburbs or countryside, and prepare to sit outside for a few hours. It takes about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark, and the longer you wait outside, the more you’ll see. A rate of 150 meteors per hour, for instance, means two to three meteors per minute, including faint streaks along with bright, fireball-generating ones.
Some skywatchers plan to camp out to see the Perseid meteor shower, but at the very least, viewers should bring something comfortable to sit on, some snacks and some bug spray. Then, just relax and look upward for the celestial show.
Lodging in Lake Tahoe
