"View-tah's" Astronomy Pages
"Bringing the Joys of Astronomy to the Public Through Awareness, Advocacy, and Education."
Intro  Sun  Planets  Asteroids  Comets  Meteor  Conjunctions  Spaceweather  Aurora

Quadrantids  Lyrids  eta Aquarids  delta Aquarids  Perseids  Orionids  Taurids  Leonids  Geminids

Meteors

Meteor showers offer some of the most fascinating viewing of all astronomical events. These are predictable, annual events during which meteor totals climb, often dramatically. To help you plan your next meteor watching party, check out this table of some of the more common meteor showers during the year.

Shower Dates Hourly Rate Radiant R.A. Radiant Dec.
Quadrantids Jan. 2-4 30 15h 24m 50°
Lyrids April 20-22 15 18h 4m 33°
eta Aquarids May 2-7 10 22h 24m 0°
delta Aquarids July 26-31 15 22h 36m -10°
Perseids Aug 10-14 40 3h 4m 58°
Orionids Oct 18-23 15 6h 20m 15°
Taurids Nov 1-7 8 3h 40m 17°
Leonids Nov 14-19 6 10h 12m 22°
Geminids Dec 10-13 50 7h 28m 32°

Meteor Definitions

meteoroid: a meteor in space before it enters earth's atmosphere
meteor: a small bit of matter heated by friction to incandescent vapor as it falls into earth's atmosphere
meteorite: a meteor that has survived its passage through the atmosphere and strikes the ground

Meteor Facts

Meteors in a meteor shower are related. To prove it, plot the course of the meteors you see on a star chart. Most will seem to come from the same area of the sky. This area is called the radiant. Meteors appear to come from a radiant because they are all traveling through space along similar paths, and the earth's orbit takes us through their path.