Astronomy enthusiasts around the world are eagerly awaiting the return of the Perseid meteor shower, one of the most famous and regular meteor showers of the year, which is active between July 17 and August 24, with its main peak expected after midnight.
Astronomer Abdul Aziz Sanoubar, Vice President of the Syrian Astronomical Society, says that the most distinctive feature of the shower is the high rate of meteors, which may reach about 100 meteors per hour, in addition to the ease of observing them from most areas of the northern hemisphere and their great speed of about 59 kilometers per second.
The shower is associated with the periodic comet Swift-Tuttle, which has an orbital period of 133 years. Its last return was in 1992, while its next return will be around 2125. When the Earth passes through the debris left by the comet along its orbit, these particles enter the atmosphere at tremendous speeds, burning up and vaporizing, appearing as bright meteors resembling fireworks.
This shower was named as such - as Snober explains - because it appears to be coming from the constellation Perseus (the bearer of the head of the god), and the best time to observe it is from after midnight on the nights of August 12 and 13 until just before dawn in the northeast.
Data from the International Meteor Organization indicates that the traditional peak of the shower will occur when the Earth passes through the main orbital node of the meteor shower, which is likely to happen between Wednesday evening, August 12, and Thursday morning, August 13, Mecca time.
But what makes the 2026 season particularly interesting is the possibility of Earth passing through ancient debris trails left behind by a comet centuries ago. Mathematical models developed by researcher Jérémy Vaubaillon indicate that Earth could approach one such trail, dating back to 1079.
Given that the radiant point in the constellation Perseus—to which the meteor shower belongs—will begin to rise from the northeastern horizon at around 10 p.m. local time, the timing of the Earth's passage through this path, as Snober says, may provide an opportunity to observe additional activity near the peak time, making the shower very favorable for observers in the Arab world.
Although scientists do not expect a significant increase in activity due to the age of this dust trail, its presence near the main peak time may allow for the observation of additional details or temporary spikes in the number of meteors, especially if the overall background activity is lower than usual.
Lessons from previous years
The Perseid meteor shower experienced strong and frequent activity during the 1990s, and significant increases in meteor rates were recorded during 2016 as a result of the Earth passing through separate dust trails left by the parent comet.
In the years 2018, 2020 and 2021, astronomers observed high activity that continued even after the main peak for between 0.7 and 1.5 days, but this phenomenon did not recur during the seasons of 2022, 2023 and 2024.
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