MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — If you’ve been waiting for the best night to see the Perseid meteor shower, tonight is the night.
The annual Perseids will peak overnight Wednesday into early Thursday morning, and astronomers say 2026 could provide one of the best viewing opportunities in years thanks to a new moon, leaving skies free from moonlight that often washes out fainter meteors.
For skywatchers in Mitchell and across eastern South Dakota, the best viewing window begins around midnight and continues until about 4:30 to 5 a.m. Thursday, with meteor activity expected to increase during the pre-dawn hours. Under ideal dark-sky conditions, viewers could see 50 to 100 meteors per hour, with occasional bright fireballs streaking across the sky.
NASA recommends finding a location away from city lights, allowing your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness and avoiding bright phone screens. While the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky, they can flash across any part of the sky, so no telescope or binoculars are needed.
Residents should look for clear skies and consider heading to rural areas outside Mitchell for the best viewing experience. Bring a lawn chair, blanket and light jacket for the late-night hours.
According to NASA, the Perseids occur each August as Earth passes through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Tiny particles enter Earth’s atmosphere at speeds exceeding 130,000 mph, creating the brilliant streaks of light commonly called shooting stars.
For more skywatching information, visit NASA’s What’s Up: August 2026 Skywatching Tips at https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/whats-up-august-2026-skywatching-tips-from-nasa.