The Perseid meteor shower, one of the Northern Hemisphere’s most popular celestial events, will be active from July 17 to August 23, peaking on August 12–13. But this year’s viewing may be challenging due to the bright moonlight. “Only the brightest shooting stars will be visible due to the near-full moon,” the article warns.

The full Sturgeon Moon will light up the sky on August 9, and by the peak nights, a waning gibbous moon will be 84% illuminated, “effectively poisoning the night sky” and making it harder to see meteors, even in dark-sky areas.

The best time to catch the Perseids is between July 18 and July 28, when moonlight is weakest. “A faint crescent moon sets early,” and a new moon on July 24 will offer the darkest skies. After that, increasing moonlight will interfere again.

The meteors, caused by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, blaze across the sky at 37 miles per second, creating brilliant light streaks.

While 2025 won’t offer ideal conditions, “you will likely see one or two” of these dazzling meteors if you watch when the moon is low or not visible.