The annual Perseid meteor shower, one of the most anticipated celestial events, will peak between August 12 and 13, 2025. While visible from August 9 onward, a bright full moon on August 9 will significantly hinder visibility by outshining fainter meteors. Peak rates are expected to reach only ten meteors per hour—markedly lower than 2024’s display.
Astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, scientific head of the Virtual Telescope Project, cautioned: “Following near-ideal conditions in 2024, the 2025 Perseids face substantially less favorable circumstances. The full moon on August 9, just days before the peak, will severely disrupt observations during the critical overnight hours of August 12–13.”
Despite lunar interference, the brightest meteors may remain visible under clear skies, particularly from dark-sky locations away from artificial light. The Perseids originate from debris shed by comet Swift-Tuttle, which ignites into “shooting stars” upon entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Masi noted that while meteors appear throughout the night, their frequency surges dramatically toward dawn as Earth’s orbital motion positions observers to face incoming comet dust “like a windshield rather than a rear window.”