The 2026 Perseid meteor shower’s listed radiant has a right ascension of 48°.
Right ascension is the celestial equivalent of longitude, measured eastward around the sky and commonly expressed in hours, minutes, and seconds. The International Meteor Organization’s 2026 calendar gives the Perseid radiant as right ascension 48° and declination +58°.
The radiant is the apparent point from which the meteors seem to stream. Perspective creates this effect: the meteoroids travel along nearly parallel paths, but their tracks appear to diverge when projected against the background stars.
The radiant’s position changes gradually during the shower because Earth moves through the stream. It lies in the general region of Perseus, which explains the shower’s name, although meteors can appear across much of the sky.