When and Where to See Perseid Meteor Shower – 2026

The Perseid Meteor Shower, one of the year’s most anticipated celestial events, dazzles with bright meteors streaking across the summer sky. Peaking mid-August, it offers a spectacular night-sky display for stargazers, weather and moonlight permitting.

What is it: When Earth crosses the orbit of  Swift-Tuttle, a comet that orbits the Sun every 133 years,  the debris cloud of Swift-Tuttle hits Earth’s atmosphere.  The debris travels at around 59 kilometres per second, and peak temperatures can reach anywhere from 1600 to 5500 degrees C, thus burning up as they speed across the sky and causing the celestial spectacle of a multitude of shooting stars. Even though the meteors are part of Swift-Tuttle, they are called the Perseid Meteor Shower because they appear to originate from the Perseus constellation.

 

You may also like:  Orionid Meteor Shower 

When to See the Perseid Meteor Shower:

Earth crosses the comet’s debris cloud every year.  The shower is visible from the middle of July to the middle of August (July 14 and August 24), and the peak shower takes place around the second week of August (August 11 to 13 this year) as the Earth crosses the thick of the cloud.

Perseids will peak between the night of August 12 and the dawn of August 13.

This year, the new moon is on August 12, making the showers the most striking meteor showers of the year, and you could spot 40 to 100 meteors per hour.

Plus, August 12th is when a partial solar eclipse is visible from eastern Canada, with most coverage in Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John’s – 53.18%), Northwest Territories (Inuvik – 44.22%), and Nunavut (Iqaluit – 61.46%).

How & Where to See the Perseid Meteor Shower:

Required Conditions: Clear Sky away from city lights — Check clear sky (cloud) conditions in your area – here.

–The best way to see it is to get away from city lights, preferably to Dark Sky Preserves.  If not, visit open sky areas (so that you have a 360-degree view of the sky) away from city lights, like provincial/regional parks  (where you can typically see a million stars on a clear starry night ,), around midnight and look up — Northeast at the sky.  If you live in the countryside, there is a good possibility that you can see a meteor shower from your yard.

• Where to Stargaze in Ontario: Dark Sky Areas and Observatories
• Where to Stargaze in Alberta: Dark Sky Areas and Observatories
• Dark-Sky Preserves in Canada

To find reasonably dark areas near your location, check the darkskyfinder map. Search for a park (or a safe place with no streetlights away from roads/traffic) within the areas coloured dark (mustard), yellow, green, blue, grey or black (transparent). (Before travelling, please check cloud cover.)

— Make sure you switch off the phone, and your eyes need ~ 30 minutes to get adjusted to the dark. If you are carrying a flashlight, cover it with a red cellophane wrap or a red filter, so that it doesn’t interfere with viewing.

— Watch the night sky for at least 15 to 20 minutes for a chance to spot meteors. At its best, the shower can produce more than 80 meteors per hour. You can see the shower with the naked eye and do not need astronomy equipment.

—  Take a blanket or a lawn chair so that you can sit comfortably to watch the shower.

— To avoid the glare of the moon, sit with your back against the moon. This might increase your chances of seeing some meteors.

 

2026 Perseid Meteor Shower Parties and Other Dark Sky Events

RASC chapters nationwide hold various events, including astronomy presentations and telescopic nighttime views of the Moon, planets, and Deep Sky Objects.

Some of these events include:

• Duncan, BC: Observe the stars and the Perseid meteor shower from this dark site in the Cowichan Valley during the Island Star Party at St. Stephen’s Anglican. Lots of amateur astronomers will be there to talk about astronomy and to help you observe celestial objects after dark from August 7 & 8, 2026.
• Vancouver, BC: Primer for the Perseids Meteor Shower at H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, Vancouver on August 13, 2026.
• Aldergrove, BC: Experience the Perseids meteor shower at Aldergrove Regional Park with telescope viewing, constellation guidance and a lantern-lit planet walk on Augist 15.
• Burnaby, BC: Visit Simon Fraser University Trottier Observatory,  Burnaby, for the weekly  Starry Nights.  Friday, August 7/14, 2026
• Mount Kobau, BC: Mt. Kobau Star Party – Cancelled.
• Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park Centre Block, SK: Explore the dark skies during the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party from August 11  to 16, 2026.
• North Frontenac, ON: Perseid Meteor Shower viewing on August 12   at 5816 Road 506 between Fernleigh and Plevna
• Richmond Hill, ON: Bring binoculars to David Dunlap Observatory Park for free guided stargazing, including star charts and observing tips. A special Perseids event runs August 12, while telescope dome tours part of Summer Telescope Nights cost $12 plus HST. All activities depend on clear weather and availability.
• Lennox and Addington, ON: Visit Lennox and Addington Dark Sky Viewing Area at 7980 Lennox and Addington County Road 41, Erinsville to see the meteor showers.
• Pelee National Park, ON: Point Pelee National Park is a Dark Sky Area. Explore the park after dark and experience the dark skies of Point Pelee with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Windsor Chapter. The park will stay open all night on August 12 and August 13 for the Perseid Meteor Shower.   (Open at 6 a.m. August 12, close at 10 p.m. August 13)
• Manitoulin Island, ON: Manitoulin Eco Park, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, on August 12 to 13, 2026.
• Montreal, QC: Bring a lawn chair or blanket, a snack or two and some insect repellent and view the shower at Morgan Arboretum, Conservation Centre, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue
• Mount Carleton Provincial Park, NB: Join members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada for an annual star party featuring telescope viewing, a night-sky presentation, solar observing, telescope setup help, and astrophotography guidance. Visitors can explore star clusters, galaxies, nebulae, the Sun, and smartphone photography. August 14 to 15.
• Kejimkujik, NS: While the annual Dark Sky Weekend took place from August 7 to 9,  visit this national park to enjoy a night of stargazing.