One of the year’s most anticipated meteor showers will reach its peak this week. The Perseids meteor shower is set to streak across the night sky in the early hours of August 13 – but unfortunately for most Australians keen to see it, we're in the wrong hemisphere for good visibility.

The Perseids are one of the best-known meteor showers of the year, produced as Earth passes through debris left behind by Comet 109P. As they enter the atmosphere, they burn up and create bright lights, or shooting stars.

This year, the shower reaches its peak around on the night of August 12, and into the early hours of August 13. This coincides with a new moon, meaning there will be almost no moonlight competing with the meteors.

Below, everything you need to know.

Can you see the Perseid meteor shower from Australia?

Technically, yes, but it depends where you are. In short, the further north you are, the better visibility you will have.

• Darwin: Excellent chance. Best viewed roughly between 3:10am–6am.
• Cairns: Excellent chance. Best viewed roughly between 3:25am–5:45am.
• Broome: Excellent chance. Best viewed roughly between 3:10am–5:20am.
• Brisbane: Good chance. Best viewed roughly between 3:23am–5:30am.
• Perth: Poor chance at visibility.
• Sydney: Poor chance at visibility. You may spot the occasional meteor low in the northern sky, particularly from a dark location.
• Melbourne: Poor chance at visibility. Only occasional meteors are likely to be visible.
• Canberra: Poor chance at visibility.
• Adelaide: Poor chance at visibility.
• Hobart: Very poor chance at visibility.

How to watch the Perseids meteor shower

You won't need any special equipment like a telescope or binoculars.

If you're in a city with a good chance at visibility, find the darkest location you can, ideally with an unobstructed view of the northern sky. Give your eyes around 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness – avoiding looking at your phone as much as possible helps with this.

You also don't need to stare exclusively at Perseus. While the meteors appear to originate from the constellation, they can streak across almost any part of the sky.

Feature image by Clay Banks via Unsplash.