METEOR SHOWER · PEAK AUG 12–13, 2026
Zero moonlight for the Perseids over Anchorage, even without full darkness.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks over Anchorage on the night of August 12–13, 2026, under a new moon at 1% illumination: zero moonlight all night. This far north the sky never reaches full astronomical darkness in mid-August, but the radiant stands 75° up by 5:46 AM, and the brightest Perseids still cut through the deep-twilight sky.
THE RADIANT, HOUR BY HOUR
Higher radiant, more meteors: the pre-dawn hours win even in the far-north twilight.
| LOCAL TIME | RADIANT ALTITUDE | DIRECTION |
|---|---|---|
| 11 PM | 35° | NNE |
| 12 AM | 39° | NE |
| 1 AM | 44° | NE |
| 2 AM | 50° | NE |
| 3 AM | 56° | ENE |
| 4 AM | 62° | ENE |
| 5 AM | 69° | E |
HOW TO ACTUALLY SEE THEM
- Go after midnight; 2–5 AM is the prime window.Even without full darkness, the small hours put Anchorage on the shower's windshield side of Earth.
- Leave the phone in your pocket for 20 minutes.Night vision takes that long to build, and one glance at a screen resets it to zero.
- No equipment. Eyes only: telescopes and binoculars see too little sky. A reclining chair and a blanket beat any optics.
SKY DARKNESS
Bortle 7Edge-of-city sky: the brightest constellations still stand out, and darker skies are a short drive away. Meteors reward darkness more than any other sky sight: a 30–60 minute drive away from the city glow improves the sky by a class or two and multiplies what you'll count.
SAME DAY
The same new Moon, twelve hours earlier
That same afternoon, the Moon takes a bite out of the Sun: 27.9% covered from Anchorage at 8:21 AM. Same Moon, same day: that's why the night is moonless.
Same night, an eclipse in the afternoon →Common questions
When exactly should I watch?
Rates build after midnight and are best between 2 and 5 AM. Anchorage never reaches full astronomical darkness in mid-August, so watch in the deepest twilight between 10:06 PM and 6:03 AM: the radiant is highest (75°) around 5:46 AM.
Where in the sky should I look?
Nowhere in particular: Perseids streak across the whole sky. Their radiant sits in the east in Perseus, 75° up at its best, and meteors look longest about 45° away from it. Lie back and take in as much sky as you can.
Is Anchorage dark enough?
Anchorage's city-center sky is roughly Bortle 7 (suburban–urban transition), so expect a fraction of the dark-sky rate downtown. Edge-of-city sky: the brightest constellations still stand out, and darker skies are a short drive away. A 30–60 minute drive away from the city glow improves the sky by a class or two and multiplies the meteors you'll count.
Will clouds block it?
Hourly cloud forecasts reach only about 16 days out, so Anchorage's forecast for the night of August 12–13, 2026 opens around July 27. This page picks it up automatically the moment it exists; check back then.