The Perseid meteor shower 2026 is expected to peak around 9 p.m. on the same night as a total solar eclipse over Massachusetts. Kelly Beatty of Sky & Telescope said that from a really dark location, observers could see anywhere from around one meteor per minute to 100 per hour.
Beatty said the viewing changes sharply with sky conditions. "But most of us deal with light pollution, so I would say more realistically, one every other minute. But that's still a lot of meteors to enjoy." He added that the meteors are moving at roughly 133,000 miles per hour and appear to come from Perseus even though they are debris from Swift-Tuttle.
Kelly Beatty on Massachusetts
There are three major events in the night sky above Massachusetts this month, and the Perseids are the one that gives observers the clearest hour-by-hour choice. The solar eclipse is worldwide, but New Englanders will see only about one sixth of the sun covered, with the best views in Greater Boston and the broader region around 2 p.m.
Beatty said binocular users can safely look for the partial solar eclipse and get "a very nice image of the partially eclipsed sun that can be seen all around." Later Wednesday evening and into the early morning, a near-full lunar eclipse will be visible over Massachusetts.
Late-night lunar eclipse
Beatty said, "The rest of the moon will be plunged into Earth's shadow," and added, "You might get some of that coppery color that total lunar eclipses are known for." The peak of that eclipse is set to occur just after midnight, with about 96% of the moon covered.
For people in Massachusetts and Greater Boston, the practical choice is simple: look west earlier for the solar eclipse, then turn to the night sky around 9 p.m. for the Perseids. The next almost total lunar eclipse is not expected again until the end of 2028, so Wednesday brings a rare overlap of events rather than a single sky watch.
