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The Perseids are an annual meteor shower that occurs every summer, peaking on August 12, 2024.
Named after the constellation of Perseus, how can you see them from the United States in 2024?
The meteors are debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet, which burns up as it enters Earth's atmosphere, creating bright streaks across the sky in one of the most popular and visible meteor showers, often producing up to 60-100 meteors per hour at their peak.
Clear, dark skies away from city lights provide the best viewing conditions, making the Perseids a highlight for stargazers and astronomers alike and here's where those places are across the United States.
The shooting stars are most visible across the Northern Hemisphere, which covers the entire United States as well as Alaska and Hawaii so Americans should be able to see them from virtually anywhere around midnight.
Head away from the bright city lights of suburban and urban life and leave around half an hour to allow your eyes to adjust to the beautiful view of the cosmos above you and prepare for the meteors to arrive.
"The meteors are colourful," EarthSky.org says. "And they frequently leave persistent trains."
"All of these factors make the Perseid shower perhaps the most beloved meteor shower for the Northern Hemisphere."
What is the largest meteor shower in history?
The largest meteor shower in recorded history is often considered to be the Leonid meteor storm of 1833 with observers reportedly seeing tens of thousands of meteors per hour, with estimates ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 meteors per hour at its peak.
The sky was so filled with meteors that it appeared to be raining stars. This meteor storm had a profound cultural and scientific impact, inspiring a surge in the study of meteors and leading to the recognition that meteor showers are linked to the orbits of comets.
The Leonids originate from the comet Tempel-Tuttle and typically produce spectacular displays every 33 years, though none have matched the intensity of the 1833 event.