The Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak over Pasadena on the night of Wednesday, Aug. 12, into the predawn hours of Thursday, Aug. 13, arriving in a year when almost no moonlight will interfere with the view.
The peak falls at nearly the same moment as the new moon on Aug. 12, when the moon will be 0% illuminated. Lunar calendars maintained by TheSkyLive, MoonGiant and Astro-Seek independently place the moon at zero illumination that night. NASA describes the resulting skies as ideally dark, and the American Meteor Society puts the moon at 0% full at the peak; during last year’s peak the moon was 84% lit, according to LiveScience.
The Perseids are an annual shower produced as Earth passes through the debris trail left by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The shower is active from July 17 through Aug. 24, a window on which NASA, the American Meteor Society, Royal Museums Greenwich, EarthSky and in-the-sky.org all agree.
Sources converge on the same peak. NASA’s “What’s Up: August 2026” skywatching guide places it on the evening of Aug. 12 into the early morning of Aug. 13. The American Meteor Society lists the night of Aug. 12-13. EarthSky predicts the peak at 14:53 UTC on Aug. 13, making the mornings of Aug. 12 and 13 the best. The site in-the-sky.org places it near 10 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 12, with the moon 1% illuminated.
Griffith Observatory is the exception. Its meteor page lists the peak night as Aug. 11-12, with an observation window of 9:16 p.m. to 5:13 a.m., and calls conditions excellent. That date differs from the five other sources reviewed, all of which point to Aug. 12-13.
What Pasadena viewers can expect
How much of the shower Pasadena residents actually see depends heavily on where they stand.
Under dark, rural skies, forecasts suggest 50 to 100 meteors an hour. Royal Museums Greenwich, a UK-based source, estimates rates as high as about 150 an hour at maximum. From inside Pasadena, urban light pollution will cut those numbers substantially.
Griffith Observatory states on its meteor page that big cities, including Los Angeles and Pasadena, are not good viewing locations for meteor showers because of light pollution, and that Griffith itself is not recommended for the purpose. That guidance appears on Griffith’s own page and was not corroborated by a second source.
Even so, NASA and the Los Angeles Times note that viewers can still catch meteors from home, particularly bright fireballs, at rates far below the dark-sky estimate. The Los Angeles Times identifies a strong local viewing window of roughly 9 to 11 p.m. on Aug. 12, with the highest rates from midnight to dawn.
Where to go and how to watch
Dark-sky locations within driving distance of Pasadena include Chilao Campground, Mount Pacifico Campground, Vetter Mountain Lookout, Crystal Lake Recreation Area and the parking area at Mount Wilson Observatory — all in the San Gabriel Mountains, roughly one to 1 1/2 hours from downtown Los Angeles.
No equipment is needed. Telescopes and binoculars narrow the field of view and are not recommended for meteor watching. NASA and the American Meteor Society note that meteors can begin appearing as early as 10 p.m., though midnight to dawn remains the best stretch.
Viewers should let their eyes adjust to darkness for 20 to 30 minutes and avoid phone screens. Lying back with a wide view of the sky works better than staring at the Perseus radiant, since meteors can streak anywhere overhead. Blankets, a reclining or lounge chair and warm layers are advised for overnight temperatures.
For photographers, the Los Angeles Times recommends a wide lens of 14 to 24 mm, manual focus on a distant light source, ISO 1600 to 3200, exposures of 20 to 30 seconds and a camera pointed toward the southwest to capture the trailing ionized gas left by meteors.
No Perseid event at PCC or Caltech
No verified source confirms a Perseid-specific viewing event scheduled at Pasadena City College or Caltech for August 2026.
Caltech’s astronomy outreach program runs a free monthly Stargazing Lecture Series at the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics on campus. The next listed date is Friday, Aug. 21, at 8 p.m., with the topic to be announced — nine days after the peak, and not billed as a Perseid event. The program’s calendar is posted at https://www.astro.caltech.edu/
Griffith Observatory’s free monthly Public Star Party, run with the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the LA Sidewalk Astronomers and The Planetary Society, is set for Aug. 22 from 2 to 9:45 p.m., also after the peak and not Perseid-specific. The Los Angeles Astronomical Society’s listing on NASA’s Night Sky Network gives a 2:30 p.m. start.
Two regional stargazing events in the run-up to the peak have already passed. The Los Angeles Astronomical Society held a star party at Mount Wilson Observatory on Aug. 7-8, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., with public telescope viewing, no RSVP required and donations accepted. The City of Glendale held a Perseid-timed stargazing program, “Night Sky Adventures,” on Aug. 8.
Pasadena’s broader City of Astronomy initiative, whose supporting organizations include Pasadena City College, held its major events earlier this year — a Science Festival and a “Tour of the Universe” event in April and June. No dedicated Perseid-night program for Pasadena City College or Caltech was found in available records.
Eaton Canyon Nature Center, long a venue for night programming, is not an option this year. Its facility was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, and its calendar of night walks has been postponed until further notice.
Cloud cover and marine layer conditions for the nights of Aug. 12-13 in the San Gabriel Valley were not available at the time of publication. Viewers should check National Weather Service forecasts closer to the date.
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
