2 summer meteor showers peak soon. When is the best time to see Perseid in Mississippi?
There are three meteor showers visible over Mississippi now, and the showy fireballs and falling stars will continue until late August. Two of the celestial shows will peak about the same time in late July, but you'll still have weeks to stargaze and catch a peek.
The Perseid is the most famous. It runs from about July 17 to Aug. 23, according to the American Meteor Society.
The alpha Capricornids are in progress, according to the American Meteor Society, and will be active through about Aug. 12. The Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower will be visible from July 18 through about Aug. 12 as well.
Here's what to know about the best times to see shooting stars and places in Mississippi where the night sky will be darkest.
When is the best time of night to see Perseid, more meteors in July and early August?
All three meteor showers can be visible from evening through dawn, meaning you don't have to stay up super late for this stargazing. You just might not get the best views earlier in the evening.
AMS says the best time to see any meteor shower is between midnight and dawn. According to NASA, the Perseids can be seen as early as 10 p.m.
It's still summer in Mississippi, so plan ahead if you're spending a lot of time outdoors to watch the sky.
Plan for heat and mosquitoes. Nights are cooler but still humid, which can make it hard for sweat to evaporate. Sweating more leads to dehydration faster, so be sure to bring plenty of water and maybe some bug repellent.
What is each meteor shower known for?
The Perseids are one of the most popular annual astronomical events. They're active for several weeks and can treat viewers to about 50-75 meteors per hour, according to AMS. The moon will likely be bright during the peak evenings in 2025, so only the brightest meteors will be seen. It could reduce visibility by as much as 75%.
According to EarthSky, the maximum hourly rate can be about 15-20 visible meteors in a dark sky for the Delta Aquariid. These can be faint and hard to see.
The alpha Capricornids have fewer meteors, but they're showier. This shower is known for fireballs, but you might only see about five per hour, according to the Meteor Society.
What are the peak nights to see shooting stars in July and August?
The American Meteor Society estimates the peak periods will be around July 29-30 for the Delta Aquarids and alpha Capricornids. The Perseids will peak around Aug. 12-13.
The new moon was on July 24, making the dark nights before and after the clearest for sky watchers. But other nights, other than around the full moon, will still offer visibility, weather permitting.
When is the August full moon?
The worst nights for viewing meteor showers will be in the days surrounding the full moon.
The full moon in August, called the "Sturgeon Moon," will be on Aug. 9, 2025. Peak illumination will be 2:55 a.m. CT, according to Farmer's Almanac.
Moonrise in Jackson will be a 7:48 p.m. CT, on Aug. 8, according to timeanddate.com. That'll be shortly after sunset around 7:51 p.m.
Where are the best dark sky places in Mississippi? Find a great spot to see the night sky
Go Astronomy lists some of the best places for seeing the night sky without light pollution in Mississippi.
Places that have a Bortle dark-sky scale score are provided. The nine-tier system ranks a three as a rural night sky and a one as an excellent dark sky.
Bienville National Forest: Bortle score - 3.
Clark Creek Natural Area: Bortle score - 3.
De Soto National Forest.
Delta National Forest.
French Camp.
Holly Springs National Forest.
Holmes County State Park: Bortle score - 3.
Homochitto National Forest: Bortle score - 3.
Leroy Percy State Park: Bortle score - 3.
Tishomingo State Park: Bortle score - 3.
Tombigbee National Forest.
The Natchez Trace Parkway has designated stargazing spots from sunrise until 10 p.m.:
Big Tree Overlook, milepost 439.4.
Little Mountain Exhibit Shelter, milepost 193.1.
Reservoir Overlook, milepost 105.6.
Are a meteor and a comet the same thing?
No. They're different, but they can be related.
A comet is an icy ball of rock, frozen gas and dust that orbits the sun. According to NASA, they can be "the size of a small town." As they get near to the sun, comets develop a head that's bigger than some planets made of dust and gas. The resulting tail can be millions of miles long.
Meteors, sometimes called shooting stars, are little pieces of debris that we see burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere, according to NASA.
"Every Perseid meteor is a tiny piece of the comet Swift-Tuttle, which swings by the Sun every 135 years," NASA wrote.
Before it enters the atmosphere and is still in space, the rock is called a meteoroid.
A meteorite is the part of the meteor that survives the trip and hits the ground.
Space Connect reporter Eric Lagatta contributed to this report.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.co
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Summer meteor showers peak soon: When, where to see Perseid, more in MS
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