The Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight. But the last supermoon of the year will get in the way.

An annual meteor shower considered the best of the year will be overshadowed by another celestial event: a supermoon.

Last year’s favorable conditions allowed skywatchers to view hundreds of meteors streak through the sky during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. But Thursday night, light pollution from the last supermoon of the year — called the sturgeon moon — will hinder viewing.

“Your chance of seeing the dim meteors will be diminished,” said George Reynolds, outreach coordinator for the Back Bay Amateur Astronomers. “You might see a few bright ones.”

The Perseid meteor shower has been active since mid-July as Earth moves through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, according to Space.com.

The shower will be at its most vivid Thursday night into dawn Friday. Still, the full moon means skywatchers will likely only spot 10 to 20 meteors per hour, according to NASA.

If you’re determined to catch a few Perseids, they’ll be most visible during the darkest hours of the night — between 11 p.m. and dawn. Though Reynolds recommends a lounge chair to relax on, no equipment is necessary to see them.

Ali Sullivan, 757-677-1974, ali.sullivan@virginiamedia.com