In this article
Where the streaks come from
A meteor is a grain of dust, often no bigger than a grain of sand, slamming into the atmosphere at tens of kilometres per second. It burns up about 80 to 100 km above the ground, and the glowing streak is the heated air around it, not the grain itself. When the grain survives to the ground it is called a meteorite, which is very rare.
Showers happen because comets and some asteroids shed dust along their orbits. Each year Earth crosses the same trail at about the same date, so the showers return on a reliable calendar. The meteors seem to fly outward from one spot in the sky, the radiant, an effect of perspective like rails converging in the distance.
The nine showers
Each one has its own character, from the sharp winter spike to the slow autumn drizzle.
- Quadrantids. A short, sharp peak in the first days of January.
- Lyrids. A modest April shower with a very long history.
- Eta Aquariids. Pieces of Halley's Comet, best in the south before dawn.
- Perseids. The warm-night favourite of the northern summer.
- Draconids. Usually quiet, occasionally spectacular, and best in the evening.
- Orionids. Fast meteors, also from Halley's Comet.
- Leonids. The famous storm-maker of November.
- Geminids. The richest shower of the year, seen from both hemispheres.
- Ursids. A quiet gift just before the solstice, for the north only.
Reading the table
The peak time is shown in your local time zone. Showers rise and fall gradually, so the night before and after the peak are usually nearly as good. The Moon column matters more than most people expect: a bright Moon washes out the fainter meteors and can cut the count by more than half.
The verdict combines the two, rating each shower as favourable, fair or poor for the year in question. A poor verdict does not mean you will see nothing, only that you will see the brightest ones.
Getting the most from a night out
You need no telescope or binoculars, which would narrow your view. Find a dark spot away from lights, give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adapt, and lie back on a blanket or a reclining chair. Look about 45 degrees up and a little away from the radiant.
The hours after midnight are usually best, with the Draconids as the exception, because you are then facing forward into the stream of dust. Dress warmer than seems necessary and bring a hot drink. For the lunar side of the planning, see the Moon phases hub.
Wishes and old beliefs
Making a wish on a shooting star is an old custom, and a nice excuse to stay out late. It is a tradition and not a promise. Many cultures also read meteors as omens or souls passing by, which says a lot about how striking a bright streak can be.
Questions people ask
What does ZHR mean?
Zenithal hourly rate, the number of meteors one observer could see per hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead. Real counts are usually lower.
Which shower is the best of the year?
The Geminids are usually the richest, with the Perseids a close and more comfortable second for people in the north. The Moon decides the rest.
Do I need to know where the radiant is?
Not really. Look at a wide patch of sky, and meteors will appear in every direction, with their trails pointing back to the radiant.