Los Angeles, United States
Perseids 2027 from Los Angeles
The Perseids peak on the night of Thursday, August 12. From Los Angeles the best time to watch is the last dark hour, before about 5:14 AM, when the radiant is high in the northeast. Under a dark sky that means up to about 88 meteors an hour. From inside the city you will see far fewer.
The night at a glance
- Gets dark
- 8:41 PM
- Radiant rises
- Already up at dusk
- Best time
- The last hour before 5:14 AM
- Light again
- 5:14 AM
- Moon
- 86% lit, sets around 2:51 AM
Times are local to Los Angeles, worked out for the city centre. Dark means the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon.
Where to look
Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. They streak away from the radiant, which sits high in the northeast at its best. Face that way but keep your gaze wide. Give your eyes twenty minutes to adjust and keep your phone in your pocket. The darker your spot, the more you will see.
About the Perseids
The Perseids are active from mid July to late August. The meteors are debris from comet Swift-Tuttle (109P) and hit the atmosphere at about 59 km per second. At the peak, a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead would show about 100 an hour. Real counts are lower.