Seeing a real meteor shower is a dream for many. This extraordinary natural phenomenon, with bright streaks across the night sky, not only leaves us in awe but also inspires us to make wishes, hoping they will come true.
For all lovers of stargazing, AdmiGram.com has great news: you can observe meteor showers almost year-round. The key is knowing when and where they occur. Today, we’ll share all the essential details about this captivating spectacle.
Where, how, and when to watch a meteor shower
What you need to know if you want to see a meteor shower
© Rahul Bhosale / Unsplash
You can only see a meteor shower at night. The best time to enjoy this phenomenon is during the peak activity of the meteor shower. However, watching a meteor shower from a big city won’t be very satisfying due to excessive light pollution and air pollution. At best, you might catch a glimpse of one or two bright meteors throughout the night if you’re paying close attention.
To see as many “falling stars” as possible, you need to travel far away from the city, away from street lights. Only in complete darkness, with all lights, mobile phones, and flashlights turned off, will your eyes adjust to the dark, allowing you to spot even the faintest meteors in the night sky.
The largest meteor showers you can watch
Quadrantids
The Quadrantids are usually active in January. You can typically see around 25 meteors per hour during this time. The radiant, or the area of the sky where the Quadrantids seem to originate, is located at the northern tip of the constellation Boötes, near the Big Dipper. This meteor shower is best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere.
Lyrids
The Lyrids are active in April. During the peak of this shower, you can see about 10 to 15 meteors per hour in the night sky. Occasionally, there are rare bursts of up to 100 meteors per hour. The radiant of the Lyrids is the star Vega in the constellation Lyra. The Lyrids are best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere.
Eta Aquariids
The Eta Aquariids are active from April to May. Depending on your location, you can see between 10 to 60 meteors per hour. The radiant of this shower is the star Eta in the constellation Aquarius. The Eta Aquariids are best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere.
Delta Aquariids
The Delta Aquariids are active from July to August. You can observe 15 to 20 meteors per hour in the night sky. The radiant point is the star Skat-Delta in the Aquarius constellation. This meteor shower is best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere.
Alpha Capricornids
The Alpha Capricornids are active from July to August. This is one of the weaker meteor showers, with no more than 5 meteors per hour. However, it’s well-known for its spectacular bright fireballs, where the meteor’s glow becomes so intense that it outshines the rest of the sky. This shower can be observed in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Perseids
The Perseids are also active from July to August. The meteors are released from the Swift-Tuttle comet. Typically, you can see 50 to 75 meteors per hour. Their apparent source is the constellation Perseus. These meteors are bright and fast, often leaving persistent trails in the sky. They are best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere.
Orionids
The Orionids are active from October to November. Although you usually see only 10-20 meteors per hour, there have been years when the shower rivaled the Perseids, with 50 to 75 meteors per hour. This shower is also known for occasionally producing persistent trails and fireballs. The apparent source of the meteors is the constellation Orion.
Draconids
The Draconids are active in October. Although this shower is generally sparse, with only a few meteors per hour, there have been times when the Draconids have produced more than a hundred meteors per hour. These meteors seem to originate from the head of the Draco constellation in the northern sky, making them best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere.
Southern Taurids
The Southern Taurids are active from September to November. Despite being active for more than two months, this shower rarely produces more than 5-7 meteors per hour, even at its peak. Nevertheless, it is known for generating many fireballs. The apparent source of the Southern Taurids is the constellation Taurus.
Northern Taurids
The Northern Taurids are active from October to December. This shower is very similar to the Southern Taurids, producing only about 7 meteors per hour. The meteors are often quite slow, but can be very bright, sometimes with fireballs. Like the Southern Taurids, the apparent source of the Northern Taurids is the constellation Taurus.
Leonids
The Leonids are active in November. They originate from the Tempel-Tuttle comet. While every few decades, the shower creates true meteor storms with thousands of meteors per minute, most years, you can see only about 10-15 meteors per hour. The radiant of the shower is the constellation Leo.
Geminids
The Geminids are active in December and are typically the strongest meteor shower of the year. The meteors, often white and bright, can fall very frequently — up to a hundred per hour. The radiant of this shower is the stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini. The Geminids are best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere.
Ursids
The Ursids are active in December. Meteors fly across the sky at a rate of 10-15 per hour, with occasional bursts of 25 or more per hour. The meteors originate from the Tuttle comet. This shower can only be seen from the Northern Hemisphere. The radiant is in the constellation Ursa Minor.
image on top: Pawan Thapa / Unsplash
