Meteor shower 2027
Perseid meteor shower 2027
Updated
Next Perseid peak: night of Aug 12–13, 2027 (ZHR 100) Active Jul 17 – Aug 24; Moon 87% lit at peak (near full Moon, poor).
When the Perseids peak in 2027, how many meteors to expect, how bright the Moon will be, and where to look, computed from the International Meteor Organization's shower parameters.
- Peak
- Aug 13, 2027 2027-08-13 08:12 UTC, solar longitude 140°
- ZHR at peak
- 100 meteors per hour, ideal sky, radiant overhead
- Moon at peak
- 87% lit Waxing gibbous, near full Moon, poor
- Radiant
- RA 3h 12m, Dec +58° PER
- Speed
- 59 km/s fast
- Best from
- Northern Hemisphere
- Parent body
- comet 109P/Swift–Tuttle
When the Perseids peak in 2027
In 2027 the Perseids peak at 2027-08-13 08:12 UTC, when the Sun reaches solar longitude 140° (J2000). That makes the night of Aug 12–13 the one to watch; the activity window opens July 17, 292 days from now.
The Moon will be 87% illuminated (waxing gibbous) at the peak: near full Moon, poor. In 2028 the peak falls on Aug 12, 2028 with the Moon 59% lit, a better year.
From 45° N the radiant stands 25° high at 10 pm and 69° at 4 am local time, so the pre-dawn hours are best. With the radiant at 69°, a ZHR of 100 means roughly 93 meteors per hour under a perfectly dark sky; light pollution and moonlight cut that a lot. The radiant never rises south of about 32° S.
How high the radiant gets
Radiant altitude on the peak night at 10 pm and 4 am local time. The higher the radiant, the more meteors you see.
| Latitude | 10 pm | 4 am |
|---|---|---|
| 50° N (London, Calgary) | 30° | 73° |
| 35° N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 17° | 61° |
| Equator | below horizon | 28° |
| 35° S (Sydney, Buenos Aires) | below horizon | below horizon |
How to watch the Perseids
Get away from street lights, let your eyes adapt for 20–30 minutes, and look about 40–60° away from the radiant rather than straight at it; meteors appear all over the sky and their trails point back to the radiant (RA 3h 12m, Dec +58°). No telescope or binoculars needed.
Perseid meteors enter the atmosphere at 59 km/s, fast enough that many leave glowing trains that linger for a second or two. The Perseids are the most-watched shower of the year: warm Northern Hemisphere nights, high rates and many bright meteors. The radiant in Perseus is circumpolar from mid-northern latitudes, so meteors appear from late evening, with the best rates before dawn.
Perseids peak dates
| Year | Peak (UTC) | Best night | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 2027-08-13 08:12 UTC | Aug 12–13 | 87% lit |
| 2028 | 2028-08-12 14:20 UTC | Aug 12–13 | 59% lit |
| 2029 | 2029-08-12 20:29 UTC | Aug 12–13 | 10% lit |
Peak times come from the mean solar longitude of maximum; real peaks can shift by several hours, and unexpected outbursts happen.
Next meteor showers
More sky pages
Data: International Meteor Organization (working list), GodsView computed Moon and radiant positions.