Michigan’s Next Meteor Shower Is Next Week: What To Know

Even though we're hitting the end of summer, we've still got one more solid treat: a meteor shower that will light up the night sky in the biggest celestial event of the year. It's deemed the best meteor shower of the year by NASA itself, and this year will be no different.

The Perseids meteor shower happens this time every year, and while it is currently happening, its peak night is coming up next week, meaning the most active night of showers is one you won't want to miss. Here is when the event is happening and when the best time to watch is.

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Perseids Meteor Shower 2026

The Perseids shower is an annual meteor shower that leaves long and bright trails across the night sky. It always peaks in mid-August and offers 50 to 100 meteors per hour, according to NASA. The reason there's a meteor shower each year is that a massive comet known as Swift-Tuttle orbits the Sun every 133 years, and this time every year, the Earth finds itself in the trail left behind by the comet.

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To witness these small specks of comet lighting up our night sky, you'll want to be in an area away from light pollution on August 12 into the morning of the 13th. The best place to watch this event is at a dark sky park, of which there are two fairly close to Grand Rapids. Plus, this year it aligns with a new moon, so the sky will be its darkest possible for viewing.

The sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower Friday, Aug. 12, 2016 in Spruce Knob, West Virginia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

If you don't want to stay up late on a Wednesday night, you can still see meteors until August 24th; it just won't be a "shower" like it will be on/around peak night.