Meteor showers
Each shower happens when Earth crosses a stream of dust left by a comet or asteroid, so the peaks come back at the same point in Earth's orbit every year. We compute each peak from the solar longitude in the International Meteor Organization's working list, then check how bright the Moon will be.
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| Shower | Active | Next peak (UTC) | Moon at peak | Rate (ZHR) | Best from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quadrantids | 12/28 – 01/12 (MM/DD) | 12% | 80 | Northern hemisphere | |
| Lyrids | 04/14 – 04/30 (MM/DD) | 95% | 18 | Northern hemisphere | |
| Eta Aquariids | 04/19 – 05/28 (MM/DD) | 0% | 50 | Both hemispheres | |
| Southern Delta Aquariids | 07/12 – 08/23 (MM/DD) | 4% | 25 | Southern hemisphere, tropics | |
| Alpha Capricornids | 07/03 – 08/15 (MM/DD) | 4% | 5 | Both hemispheres | |
| Perseids | 07/17 – 08/24 (MM/DD) | 87% | 100 | Northern hemisphere | |
| Draconids | 10/06 – 10/10 (MM/DD) | 67% | 5 | Northern hemisphere | |
| Orionids | 10/02 – 11/07 (MM/DD) | 58% | 20 | Both hemispheres | |
| Southern Taurids | 09/20 – 11/20 (MM/DD) | 12% | 7 | Both hemispheres | |
| Northern Taurids | 10/20 – 12/10 (MM/DD) | 11% | 5 | Both hemispheres | |
| Leonids | 11/06 – 11/30 (MM/DD) | 55% | 15 | Both hemispheres | |
| Geminids | 12/04 – 12/20 (MM/DD) | 25% | 150 | Northern hemisphere | |
| Ursids | 12/17 – 12/26 (MM/DD) | 98% | 10 | Northern hemisphere |
Reading the numbers
ZHR, the zenithal hourly rate, is the number of meteors one observer would see in an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. Real counts are lower: with the radiant halfway up the sky, expect about 70% of the ZHR; from a suburban sky, perhaps a third; from a city centre, a handful of the brightest. Moonlight works the same way as light pollution.
The radiant is the point the meteors seem to come from. You don't need to look at it: meteors appear all over the sky, and the longest trails are often 40° to 60° away from the radiant. Lie back, look at the darkest, highest part of the sky, and give it at least half an hour.
Peak times are for the shower's average maximum and can vary by several hours from year to year; most showers give useful rates for a night or two either side. Each city page lists the next showers with the radiant's height and a rough rate for that place.