These days, everything revolves around the eclipse: schedules, maps, certified eclipse glasses, and plans for viewing the sun without damaging your eyesight. However, the Madrid sky has another event in store that’s just as exciting—if not more so— one that requires no filters or special equipment and happens every year: the Perseid meteor shower, also popularly known as the “Tears of Saint Lawrence.”
While the eclipse will be a one-time event, the Perseids turn many summer nights into a veritable parade of shooting stars visible throughout the northern hemisphere, including the Community of Madrid.
What Are the Perseids and When Do They Occur?
The Perseids are a meteor shower associated with Comet Swift-Tuttle. Every year, between mid-July and late August, Earth passes through the cloud of dust and small fragments left behind by that comet in its orbit; as they enter the atmosphere, these particles disintegrate at speeds exceeding 50 kilometers per second, creating the flashes we call shooting stars. According to the National Geographic Institute and the American Meteor Society, the shower is active from approximately July 17 to August 24, with peak activity concentrated around the nights of August 11–13, reaching its highest intensity on the night of August 12–13, coinciding with the eclipse.
Under optimal conditions, the Perseids can reach rates of 60 to 100 meteors per hour, and even approach 200 in particularly favorable years. What’s more, 2026 comes with a bonus: the night of the peak coincides with a new moon, which means a much darker sky and better viewing conditions—as long as we get a little away from the city lights.astronomia.
Yes, you can see them from Madrid, too
Although Madrid suffers from significant light pollution, the Perseids are still visible if you choose your observation spots wisely. Astronomy guides recommend getting away from urban centers, seeking unobstructed horizons, and avoiding streetlights and direct spotlights; but even within the city itself, there are spots where you can enjoy them: Casa de Campo, Cerro del Tío Pío (Parque de las Siete Tetas), Juan Carlos I Park, the Manzanares Linear Park, and the area around the Madrid Planetarium are some of the classic spots.
If you can venture a little further out, the Sierra de Guadarrama, La Pedriza, Buitrago de Lozoya, Puerto de Navacerrada, or the Southeast Regional Park offer much darker and more open skies—ideal for lying on the ground or in a lounge chair and letting the shooting stars appear one by one. You don’t need a telescope: all it takes is patience and letting your eyes adjust to the darkness for a few minutes, looking toward the constellation Perseus, from which the meteors appear to radiate.