The earliest recorded observation of the Perseid meteor shower dates to AD 36.
This date comes from the historical record associated with the Perseids, long before astronomers understood meteor showers as streams of cometary debris. Ancient observers could recognize repeated seasonal displays of bright streaks without knowing their physical cause or being able to predict their exact annual maximum.
The 2026 Perseids belong to the same recurring stream documented across many centuries. Their meteors are produced when small particles from Comet Swift–Tuttle enter Earth's atmosphere and glow as they heat and ionize the surrounding air. The shower's modern name comes from its apparent radiant in the constellation Perseus, not from the location where the particles originate.
AD 36 should not be confused with later milestones: Comet Swift–Tuttle was identified in the modern era in 1862, and the comet's connection with the Perseid stream was established by Giovanni Schiaparelli in 1865.