On the night of August 13, a starry downpour will fall over Kirov, and six planets will align.

      Key facts about the Perseid meteor shower 2026

      The Perseids are particles from the Swift-Tuttle comet, which approaches the Sun once every 133 years. The Earth crosses its dust trail every year, creating this beautiful celestial spectacle.

      Peak date: the night of August 12 to 13.

      Intensity: under ideal conditions, 80 to 120 meteors ("shooting stars") are expected per hour.

      Favorable conditions: the main advantage of 2026 is the coincidence of the peak of the shower with the new moon (August 12).

      The absence of moonlight will make the sky as dark as possible, allowing even the faintest meteors to be seen.

      Best time for observation in the Kirov region: the radiant of the Perseids rises to a convenient height around 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM. The optimal time for observations in the region is approximately from 11:00 PM on August 12 to 2:00 AM on August 13.

      How to properly observe the meteor shower?

      Experts and amateur astronomers from Kirov provide the following recommendations:

      Location: get out of the city, away from streetlights and smog. The darker the sky, the more meteors you will see. For example, on August 12, the "Amateur Astronomy in Kirov" group will conduct an astronomy outing in the field near the village of Basharovo (30 km from Kirov along the Pobedyilovsky tract, provided there is good visibility and weather).

      Direction: look to the northeast, where the constellation Perseus is located — the radiant of the shower, the point from which the meteors seem to emerge. However, the "stars" themselves can streak across any part of the sky.

      Equipment: it is better to observe with the naked eye. Telescopes and binoculars have too small a field of view and are not suitable for observing meteor showers.

      Preparation: bring a mat or deck chair to lie down comfortably and look up, as well as warm clothes — August nights can be cool (in the field at Basharovo, temperatures can drop to +10°C, and the wind intensifies the cold). Don’t forget a thermos, food, a flashlight with a red mode, and mosquito spray.

      In addition to the meteor shower itself, the night of the Perseid peak will be marked by a rare event — a grand parade of planets. Before dawn, six planets will line up in one sector of the sky: Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune, reports the portal mkset.ru.

      By the way, these are not the only astronomical events awaiting Earthlings. According to specialists, on the evening of August 12, a partial solar eclipse will occur — an event that will give residents of many regions the opportunity to touch the mysteries of space. However, unfortunately, residents of the Kirov region will not see this eclipse.