Perseid meteor shower peaks this week. Will Colorado be able to see it?

One of the best meteor showers of the year peaks this week, and Mother Nature has given us an almost perfect setup in the sky. Now we just need the clouds to cooperate.

The Perseid meteor shower peaks Wednesday night, Aug. 12, into the early morning hours of Thursday, Aug. 13. This year is especially favorable because the peak lines up with a new moon, meaning there will be essentially no moonlight to interfere.

The American Meteor Society says people watching from dark, rural locations more commonly see around 30 to 50 Perseids per hour near the peak.

Those numbers assume a dark and clear sky, meaning get far away from city lights, as light pollution can quickly inhibit the viewing experience.

Best time to see the Perseids in Colorado

You can start looking for meteors around 10 p.m. Wednesday, but the best viewing will come later, likely 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.

You do not need any special equipment such as a telescope or binoculars. Find the darkest location you safely can, get away from city lights, and give your eyes some time to adjust.

Will the clouds cooperate?

This is the tricky part, as it always is in Colorado.

A surge of monsoon moisture arrives in Colorado Wednesday. This will bring a noticeable increase in thunderstorms and cloud cover. 

Storms will become more widespread over the mountains and western Colorado before spreading onto the Front Range and eastern Colorado by the afternoon and evening.

That makes the first part of Wednesday night less than ideal for meteor watching in many areas. The better opportunity will be overnight Wednesday into early Thursday morning as thunderstorms weaken. If breaks develop in the clouds, even a few hours of clearing could provide a good viewing window.

The best place to escape the clouds is extreme southeastern Colorado and the Great Sand Dunes. Good luck!