Meteor shower peaks at the same time as full moon

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The Perseid meteor shower is one of the most popular meteor showers of the year thanks to the bright, colorful and frequent streaks across the night sky. The shower peaks in 2022 on August 11th.

But before you get too excited, the meteor shower isn’t going to be quite as spectacular as other years. Unfortunately, the peak Thursday night coincides with a full moon. And it’s not just any full moon. It’s the last super moon of 2022. This means the moonlight blocks out seeing some of the more subtle meteors, especially those close to the moon in the sky.

During a year with no moon, skygazers typically see 90 or more meteors an hour. But this year, we can expect to see quite a few less.

Still, it’s worth stepping out side to check out! The best time to see the meteors is between midnight and dawn. You want to look toward the northeast sky near the constellation Perseus, which is what gives the shower it’s name.

The meteors are caused by the earth passing through debris left behind by the Swift-Tuttle comet which made it’s most recent pass by the earth in 1992. It’s safe to say... None of us will be alive the next time the meteor passes by which is 112 year from now in 21-26. But we can still enjoy the meteors streaking across the sky!