The Virginids meteor shower
Key facts
- Peak
- several weak maxima in March and early April
- Active
- late January to mid-April
- Rate at peak (ZHR)
- about 2–5
- Speed
- about 30 km/s
- Radiant
- Virgo and Leo (several radiants along the ecliptic)
- Parent body
- Mixed dust on low-tilt orbits; no single parent
Dates shift slightly from year to year. This year's peak is in the events calendar.
For much of the twentieth century, the Virginids were listed as a northern spring shower famous for slow, bright meteors and occasional fireballs. They are a useful example of how meteor science corrects itself.
A shower made of many parts. Observers noticed that spring meteors seemed to come from several points scattered through Virgo and the hind part of Leo, drifting slowly east during February, March and April. Different researchers listed different radiants with names such as Delta Leonids, Alpha Virginids and Gamma Virginids. Nobody could agree on where the true maximum was, because there did not seem to be one: just a few low bumps in activity spread over many weeks.
Careful work by visual observers and video networks in the 1990s and 2000s explained the puzzle. Most of the Virginid activity is part of the much larger Antihelion Source, the stream of meteoroids on low-tilt orbits that Earth meets from the direction opposite the Sun all year round. In spring, that direction lies in Leo and Virgo, so spring antihelion meteors were named after those constellations. In the mid-2000s the Virginids were dropped from the standard list of visual showers. A few small, genuine streams in the area are still recognised individually by specialists.
Why they were memorable. Meteoroids on these orbits hit Earth at only about 30 kilometres per second, so the meteors are slow and last long enough to be enjoyed. Larger fragments make spectacular, lingering fireballs, and spring is known for them.
What to expect. Two to five meteors an hour under dark skies, rising to the higher end in late March and April. They come from a broad area rather than a sharp point.
Viewing. Virgo is well placed from both hemispheres around midnight in March and April. The UK sees it fairly low in the south; tropical and southern observers see it higher. Spring nights are milder than January ones and still reasonably long, which makes this a pleasant season for a relaxed meteor watch.
Viewing tips
- Watch around midnight, when Virgo is highest in the south.
- Find Spica, Virgo's bright white star, and look in the general area around it.
- Expect slow meteors that cross a large part of the sky.
- Keep a camera running: spring is a good season for slow, bright fireballs.
- Use a dark-sky site away from towns, as most of these meteors are faint.