METEOR SHOWER · PEAK AUG 12–13, 2026
Up to 87 meteors an hour over Boise, and zero moonlight.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks over Boise on the night of August 12–13, 2026, under a new moon at 0% illumination: zero moonlight all night. True darkness runs 10:44 PM to 4:55 AM; the radiant climbs to 61° by 4:44 AM, good for up to 87 meteors per hour under truly dark skies.
THE RADIANT, HOUR BY HOUR
Higher radiant, more meteors: the pre-dawn hours win.
| LOCAL TIME | RADIANT ALTITUDE | DIRECTION |
|---|---|---|
| 11 PM | 21° | NNE |
| 12 AM | 26° | NNE |
| 1 AM | 32° | NE |
| 2 AM | 39° | NE |
| 3 AM | 47° | NE |
| 4 AM | 55° | NE |
HOW TO ACTUALLY SEE THEM
- Go after midnight; 2–5 AM is the prime window.Boise turns your side of Earth into the shower's windshield in the small hours.
- 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, a partial solar eclipse crosses 16 northern U.S. metros: it misses Boise, but it's the same new Moon that keeps this night 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. True darkness in Boise runs from 10:44 PM to 4:55 AM that night, and the radiant is highest (61°) around 4:44 AM: the last dark hour is the strongest.
Where in the sky should I look?
Nowhere in particular: Perseids streak across the whole sky. Their radiant sits in the northeast in Perseus, 61° 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 Boise dark enough?
Boise'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?
The latest forecast shows 41% cloud cover over Boise in the core viewing hours. Forecasts firm up as the night approaches; check back the evening before for the final call.