According to the 2026 forecast, at what UTC time will Earth encounter a branch of the Perseid 1079 dust trail?
Answer
16:53 UTC on August 12
According to the 2026 forecast, Earth will encounter a branch of the Perseid 1079 dust trail at 16:53 UTC on August 12.
The prediction comes from the International Meteor Organization’s 2026 meteor-shower calendar. The calculated trail encounter occurs at solar longitude 139.859°, during the same general period as the Perseids’ traditional broad maximum.
The 1079 trail is considered very old and is split into three parts, so the forecast does not assign a specific meteor-rate estimate to this encounter. That makes it different from the shower’s standard maximum forecast, which is listed separately for the early hours of August 13 UTC.
The Perseids form when Earth passes through dust and debris released by Comet 109P/Swift–Tuttle. Individual trails can create temporary enhancements, but their visibility depends on particle density, observing conditions, and the accuracy of orbital models. The 1079 encounter therefore describes a predicted passage through a particular debris feature, not a separate meteor shower.