This meteor shower is one of the best — Here's when you can see the most meteors in Canada

Perseids have "persistent trains" in the sky!

meteors in the night sky above trees

Meteors in the night sky.

Senior Writer

One of the best meteor showers of the year is reaching its peak over Canada.

With the Perseids, you can see bright meteors that have "persistent trains" streaking across the sky.

Canada's night sky is lit up by the Perseids every year in July and August.

But you have to wait for the peak to spot the most shooting stars.

In 2025, the peak of this meteor shower is expected to be overnight from Tuesday, August 12, to Wednesday, August 13.

You can typically see 60 to 100 meteors per hour when the Perseids peak, which makes it one of the best meteor showers of the year.

Also, the Perseid meteor shower has colourful meteors with "persistent trains," according to EarthSky.

Since the moon will be in the waning gibbous phase during this year's peak, you might not be able to see as many meteors as you would if it were a new moon.

But many Perseid meteors are bright, so you can try to enhance your view by blocking the moon's light.

EarthSky also noted that the Perseid meteor shower gets more intense later at night, and the best time to look is just before dawn.

Even though meteors radiate from the constellation Perseus, shooting stars can be seen in all parts of the sky.

But if you want to find the radiant of this meteor shower, Perseus will be in the northeast after sunset. Then, it'll rise in the sky throughout the night.

The Canadian Space Agency has tips for viewing the Perseids from Canada.

You should find a dark location because city lights make it hard to see fainter meteors.

Then, you should sit or lie down because that can help you see more meteors.

It's recommended that you be patient because it could take a while before you see a shooting star as your eyes adjust to the darkness and look all over the night sky.

No special equipment, like a telescope or binoculars, is needed to see meteor showers.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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