Perseids
The best known shower of the northern hemisphere, falling in the holiday season. It also has the shortest observing window on this list: August astronomical night in Poland lasts under four hours, and that - not the radiant - sets the limit.
Meteors enter the atmosphere at 59 km/s, which makes them moderately fast. The parent body is 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
Catalogue figures
- Active period
- 17 July - 24 August
- Nominal peak
- 12 August
- Radiant
- RA 3.2 h, dec 58°
- Entry velocity
- 59 km/s
- Parent body
- 109P/Swift-Tuttle
- Catalogue ZHR
- 100
ZHR is a catalogue reference value: the number of meteors an observer would see under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead. It is not a forecast for any given year, nor a number you will count - real activity varies from year to year, and every obstacle (the Moon, a low radiant, light pollution) cuts it several times over.
Observing conditions 2026-2031
Computed for Warszawa as the reference point. "Radiant above 20°" counts the hours when astronomical night (Sun more than 18° below the horizon) and a high enough radiant overlap. The last column subtracts the time the Moon is above the horizon.
Select a peak date to open that night on the event map in the app.
The table scrolls sideways - it has seven columns.
| Peak | Moon | Radiant highest | Astronomical night | Radiant above 20° | Moon-free | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 August 2026 | 1% | 56.9° · 02:30 | 3.8 h | 3.8 h | 3.8 h | good |
| 12 August 2027 | 77% | 56.8° · 02:30 | 3.7 h | 3.7 h | 2.8 h | partly good |
| 12 August 2028 | 65% | 57.1° · 02:30 | 3.8 h | 3.8 h | 0 h | Moon interferes |
| 12 August 2029 | 5% | 57° · 02:30 | 3.8 h | 3.8 h | 3.8 h | good |
| 12 August 2030 | 97% | 56.9° · 02:30 | 3.8 h | 3.8 h | 0 h | Moon interferes |
| 12 August 2031 | 31% | 56.8° · 02:30 | 3.7 h | 3.7 h | 1 h | Moon interferes |
Plan the night
Check in Lunar Frame how high the radiant sits at a given hour from your own spot, and when the Moon rises and sets that night.
Open Lunar Frame →Where these numbers come from
Active period, nominal peak, radiant, velocity and ZHR come from the Lunar Frame shower catalogue. Moon illumination, the length of astronomical night and radiant altitude are computed with astronomy-engine for Warszawa; across Poland these differ by fractions of a degree, so one reference point describes the whole country.