Meteor Showers

Here is the list of meteor showers which happen almost the same date every year! Meteor applies to the streak of light produced when an interplanetary particle (a meteoroid) enters Earth's upper atmosphere and the meteoroid material ablates (evaporates).

  Shower         Date (UT)         Rate
  =====          =========         ====
Quadrantids       Jan.  4           85
Centaurids        Feb.  8            7
Lyrids            Apr. 21           15
Scorpids          May   3            5

Aquarids          May   4           30
Arietids          June  7           60
Perseids          June  9           40
Taurids           June 28           25

Aquarids          July 28           20
Capricornids      July 29            8
Perseids          Aug. 12          100
Orionids          Oct. 21           20

Taurids           Nov.  2           15
Taurids           Nov. 12           15
Leonids           Nov. 17           12
Geminids          Dec. 13           95
Ursids            Dec. 22           20

The first column is the name of the meteor shower, where the radiant is! The second column is the date in UT. (However, the best time to observe the shower is after midnight until an hour or so before sunrise, and on a moonless night...) The third column is the rate per hour, assuming that you have a completely dark night sky! Otherwise, you would probably see half or less of the total from above.

Remember, meteor shower comes in all directions but you will see more if you look in the direction of the constellation from above on a given night. As always, "keep looking up..."