For Northern Hemisphere observers, August is usually regarded as “meteor month” with one of the best displays of the year reaching its peak near midmonth. That display is, of course, the annual Perseid meteor shower beloved by everyone from meteor enthusiasts to summer campers. But sky watchers beware: you will be facing a major obstacle in your attempt to observe this year’s Perseid performance, namely, the moon.
Unfortunately, as luck would have it, 2025 will see the moon turn full on Aug. 9 and will be at a rather bright waning gibbous phase a few nights later, seriously hampering observation of the peak of the Perseids, predicted to occur for the overnight hours of Monday Aug. 11, into the predawn hours of Tuesday morning, Aug. 12.
In fact, a waning gibbous is just about the worst moon phase for meteor observing.
The moon will be 89% illuminated and hovering below the Great Square of Pegasus and to the upper right of the planet Saturn that night, and not all that far from the constellation Perseus, from where the meteors will appear to dart from (hence the name “Perseid”). As such, bright moonlight will flood the sky through most of that key night and will certainly play havoc with any serious attempts to observe these meteors. So, sadly, the moon intervenes to spoil the Perseids’ best, even if we get clear skies.
A 1968 redux?
Back in 1968, when the Perseids were at their peak, the moon was at the same phase it will be this year. To get an idea of what type of activity occurred in that year — and what might be expected for this year — New York’s Hayden Planetarium sponsored a meteor watch on the Great Lawn in Central Park. “Esthetically as well as astronomically, the night seemed perfect,” wrote a reporter for The New York Times. Dr. Kenneth L. Franklin, assistant chairman of the Planetarium told an audience of 85 sky watchers the meteors would come “at the rate of one every minute or two, but with the bright moon maybe it will be on the order of one every minute or three.” But according to the reporter for The Times, “It was on the order of one every minute or eight.”
Quality versus quantity
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Moonlight, however, only hides faint meteors. But a fair number of Perseids are typically fast, bright and occasionally leave persistent trains. Such bright, streaky Perseids can burn right through a moonlit sky. Notes Guy Ottewell in his popular annual publication Astronomical Calendar 2025: “Perseid meteors are swift, which helps to distinguish them from the far less numerous Aquarids and Capricornids of the same time. Many are bright; white, yellow, green, red, orange; leave spectacular long-lasting trains; end in flares.”
And every once in a while, an outstandingly bright Perseid fireball will blaze forth, bright enough to be very impressive and more than capable of attracting attention even in bright moonlight. So, if you’re willing to forego quantity, a meteor watch in the moonlight might still offer quality.
Even more unfortunate, because the moon is full on Aug. 9, means that it will always be above the horizon during the predawn morning hours (when Perseid viewing is always at its best) even in the few days before the peak. Which means that even the gradual increase in the shower will be spoiled by moonlight. The moon arrives at last quarter on Aug. 16 and thereafter its light becomes much less objectionable, but by that time the peak of the display has long since passed, leaving only a few lingering Perseid stragglers in its wake.
Active since mid-July
The Perseids are already around, having been active only in a very weak and scattered form since around July 17. But a noticeable upswing in Perseid activity begins during the second week of August, leading up to their peak night.
As always, the best time to watch for Perseids is from 11 p.m. or midnight straight on until the first light of dawn. The meteors will appear anywhere in the sky, so just arrange to watch the sky in a direction where the moon doesn’t get in your eyes.
In the absence of moonlight, a single observer might see 45 to 90 meteors per hour on the peak night, a number that sadly cannot be hoped to be approached in 2025.
Much better viewing next year
But in 2026, it will be a much different story, as the peak night will coincide with a new moon (and a solar eclipse!), meaning that skies will be dark and meteors plentiful.
As they used to say in Brooklyn, when the Dodgers used to play at old Ebbets Field: “Just wait till next year!”
In the meantime, clear skies late on Monday night and enough personal stamina to stay awake should afford a view of a least a few celestial streakers, courtesy of one of the flashiest meteor showers of the year. And don’t forget to look for the eye-catching conjunction of Jupiter and Venus low in the east-northeast sky a few hours before sunrise; a fitting “consolation prize” to go with the moonlit Perseids of 2025.
Good luck!
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, Sky and Telescope and other publications.
