Jakarta. The Indonesian night sky will once again be illuminated by the Perseid meteor shower on the night of Aug. 12 into the early hours of Aug. 13, 2025. Thomas Djamaluddin, a researcher at the Space Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), explained that this annual phenomenon occurs when Earth passes through the trail of debris left by the Swift-Tuttle comet.

“The Perseid meteor shower is an annual event when Earth crosses the debris path of the Swift-Tuttle comet,” Thomas said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He reassured the public that the meteor shower poses no danger to life on Earth. The small particles, seen as meteors streaking across the sky, burn up completely in the atmosphere before reaching the surface.

“There is absolutely no impact on Earth,” he said.

According to Thomas, the best time to observe the Perseid meteor shower is just before dawn, looking towards the northeast.

“Watch the northeastern sky just before dawn. Conditions should be clear, with an unobstructed view and away from light pollution,” he advised.

However, he warned that the bright moonlight following the full moon on that night might reduce the number of visible meteors, limiting observers to seeing just a dozen or so meteors per hour.

“Meteor showers are annual events and serve as reminders that Earth regularly passes through comet debris,” Thomas added.

The Perseid meteor shower typically occurs every August when Earth crosses the orbital path of the Swift-Tuttle comet. Under ideal dark sky conditions, the shower can produce dozens to hundreds of meteors per hour.

Other annual meteor showers include the Quadrantids, Lyrids, Eta Aquarids, and Geminids, each with distinct characteristics and intensity based on their comet or asteroid origins.