August 12 2026 total eclipse coincides with Perseid meteor peak
On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will line up with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, a pretty rare cosmic combo.
The Perseids happen every year when debris from comet Swift-Tuttle hits our atmosphere at super high speeds, sometimes lighting up the sky with up to 100 meteors an hour.
This time, people in Greenland, Iceland, and Spain will get a brief twilight as the moon covers the sun.
Most Perseid meteors hidden by twilight
Catching a Perseid meteor while it's briefly twilight during the eclipse sounds awesome but is very unlikely.
Only the brightest fireballs might show up in those quick 2 or 3 minutes.
As Robert Lunsford from the American Meteor Society puts it, "It would have to be a fireball that passed through the darkest portion of the sky," and NASA Meteoroid Environments Office head Bill Cooke adds that most meteors will be hidden by twilight.
Best bet: enjoy the eclipse itself and watch for shooting stars later when it's fully dark!