August will bring two opportunities to look skyward as a solar eclipse and the annual Perseid meteor shower overlap. Is it unusual for a solar eclipse and meteor shower to happen at the same time? The Perseid meteor shower happens every year and peaks in mid-August, while solar and lunar eclipses occur about twice a year. This will be a total solar eclipse, and it will be very impressive in other parts of the world. The Perseid meteor shower is expected to be one of the top two meteor showers of the year.