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#Meteor showers

The annual showers, the comets behind them, and how to watch them safely.

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Lessons (2)

Meteor showers and cometsMeteor showers are the most reliable shows in the night sky. They come from comets, and they teach us a lot about how meteors and meteorites
Shooting starsHave you ever seen a quick flash of light race across the night sky? That was a meteor. Let's find out what is really happening up there

Courses (5)

Shooting starsSometimes a bright streak of light zooms across the night sky. People call it a shooting star. But it is not a star at all!
Meteor showers and cometsOn certain nights each year you can see many more shooting stars than usual. This lesson explains why, and how to watch a meteor shower safe
Key Stage 2: Rocks from spaceTwelve lessons on meteorites for Years 3 to 6: what they are, where they come from, how to test a rock like a scientist, craters, the end of
Light, sound and meteor showersMeteors are seen instantly but heard minutes later, and some return on the same dates every year. This lesson uses waves and Earth's orb
Speed and energy on entryA meteoroid arrives with enormous speed and kinetic energy. In this lesson you will calculate entry speeds and trace where all that energy g

Books (1)

Fireballs and Meteor ShowersMost meteors are grains smaller than rice, striking the air at 11 to 72 kilometres per second. This observer's guide explains the physic

Space missions (3)

DESTINY+A planned flyby of the rocky asteroid that feeds the Geminid meteor shower. Most meteor showers come from comets: icy bodies that shed dust
GiottoEurope's first deep-space mission flew within 600 kilometres of Halley's Comet. Giotto was named after the Italian painter Giotto di
Sakigake and SuiseiJapan's first interplanetary spacecraft, sent to meet Halley's Comet. Halley's Comet returns to the inner Solar System about eve

Questions and answers (21)

Can I see a shooting star from a city?Yes, but only the brighter ones. City lights hide faint meteors, so you will see many more from a dark place in the countryside.
Can meteorites fall during a meteor shower?Meteor showers do not drop meteorites. Their particles are tiny, fragile comet dust travelling too fast to survive.
Did dinosaurs see shooting stars?Yes! Shooting stars have been happening for billions of years, so dinosaurs would have seen them on clear nights, just as we do.
Do astronauts see shooting stars?Yes. Astronauts on the International Space Station look down on shooting stars, seeing them glow in the air below them.
Does the Moon still get hit by meteorites?Yes. The Moon is struck constantly by meteoroids, and telescopes on Earth see impact flashes, while orbiting spacecraft have photographed ne
How can I involve families in meteorite learning?Send home sky-watching guides, invite families to evening observing events and science fairs, and set homework that encourages conversations
How can pupils use star maps to find meteor radiants?Using a star map or planisphere, pupils locate the shower's radiant constellation, then trace meteor paths backwards to see which meteor
How do I organise a school meteor-watching evening?Pick a major shower and a moonless date, choose a safe dark site, plan supervision and warm clothing, and give pupils a simple counting task
How many shooting stars can I see in one night?On an ordinary dark night you might see a handful each hour. During a big meteor shower, you could see dozens in an hour.
Is it safe to watch a meteor shower?Yes, meteor showers are completely safe to watch. The meteors burn up far above you. Just stay warm, go with an adult and be careful in the
What causes meteor showers?Meteor showers happen when Earth passes through a trail of dust and small particles shed by a comet, or occasionally an asteroid, along its
What did ALH 84001 tell us about life on Mars?In 1996 a NASA-led team suggested ALH 84001 held possible signs of ancient Martian microbes.
What did ancient Chinese astronomers record about meteorites?Chinese records describe meteors, meteor showers, fireballs and falling stones over more than two thousand years, among the longest continuo
What is a meteor shower and why does it come back every year?A meteor shower happens when Earth passes through a trail of dust left by a comet. Earth crosses the same trail at the same time each year.
What is a meteor shower?A meteor shower is a period when many more meteors than usual are seen, all appearing to fly out from the same point in the sky, because Ear
What is a near-Earth asteroid?A near-Earth asteroid is one whose orbit brings it within about 1.3 times Earth's distance from the Sun, so it can pass relatively close
What is the asteroid belt?The asteroid belt is a broad region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where most known asteroids orbit the Sun.
What is the difference between an asteroid and a comet?Asteroids are mostly rock and metal and stay inert, while comets contain a lot of ice and develop a glowing head and tails when they come cl
What makes some meteor showers stronger than others?It depends on how much dust a comet left in its trail and how close Earth passes to the thickest part. Fresh trails can make spectacular dis
When is the best time to see shooting stars?For most showers the best time is after midnight and before dawn, when your side of Earth faces forward along its orbit.
Where is the best place to watch a meteor shower?Somewhere dark, away from street lights, with a wide open view of the sky. Moorland, rural fields, the coast and designated dark sky places

Meteor showers (80)

The Alpha Capricornids meteor showerAlpha Capricornids meteor shower: peak around 30 July, active about 3 July to 15 August. The Alpha Capricornids are not a numerous shower.
The Alpha Centaurids meteor showerAlpha Centaurids meteor shower: peak around 8 February, active late January to about 20 February.
The Alpha Monocerotids meteor showerAlpha Monocerotids meteor shower: peak around 21–22 November, active about 15–25 November.
The Andromedids meteor showerAndromedids meteor shower: peak around 27 November historically; now weak, in late November to early December, active late November to early
The Antihelion Source meteor showerAntihelion Source meteor shower: peak no single peak; slightly richer in late March to April and late June to July, active about 10 December
The April Rho Cygnids meteor showerApril Rho Cygnids meteor shower: peak around 29 April, active late April to early May.
The Arids meteor showerArids meteor shower: peak around late September to early October, in some years, active late September to early October, when Earth meets fr
The August Beta Piscids meteor showerAugust Beta Piscids meteor shower: peak around 13 August, active about 1–24 August.
The Aurigids meteor showerAurigids meteor shower: peak around 31 August to 1 September, active about 28 August to 5 September.
The Camelopardalids meteor showerCamelopardalids meteor shower: peak around 24 May, only in some years, active around 23–25 May, when it appears.
The Chi Cygnids meteor showerChi Cygnids meteor shower: peak around 14–15 September, in active years, active mid-September, mainly in rare active years.
The Chi Orionids meteor showerChi Orionids meteor shower: peak around 2–10 December (historically listed), active late November to mid-December.
The Comae Berenicids meteor showerComae Berenicids meteor shower: peak around 20–23 December, active early December to late January.
The Daytime April Piscids meteor showerDaytime April Piscids meteor shower: peak around 22 April, active about 20–26 April.
The Daytime Arietids meteor showerDaytime Arietids meteor shower: peak around 7 June, active mid-May to late June. The Daytime Arietids are among the strongest meteor showers
The Daytime Beta Taurids meteor showerDaytime Beta Taurids meteor shower: peak around 28 June, active early June to mid-July.
The Daytime Capricornids-Sagittariids meteor showerDaytime Capricornids-Sagittariids meteor shower: peak around 1–4 February, active mid-January to early February.
The Daytime Chi Capricornids meteor showerDaytime Chi Capricornids meteor shower: peak around 13–14 February, active late January to late February.
The Daytime Epsilon Arietids meteor showerDaytime Epsilon Arietids meteor shower: peak around 9 May, active late April to late May.
The Daytime Gamma Leonids meteor showerDaytime Gamma Leonids meteor shower: peak around 25 August, active mid-August to mid-September.
The Daytime Kappa Leonids meteor showerDaytime Kappa Leonids meteor shower: peak around 21 September, active early September to early October.
The Daytime May Arietids meteor showerDaytime May Arietids meteor shower: peak around 16 May, active early May to early June.
The Daytime Omega Cetids meteor showerDaytime Omega Cetids meteor shower: peak around 8–10 May (northern and southern branches), active late April to mid-May.
The Daytime Omicron Cetids meteor showerDaytime Omicron Cetids meteor shower: peak around 20 May, active early May to early June.
The Daytime Sextantids meteor showerDaytime Sextantids meteor shower: peak around 27 September to 1 October, active late September to early October.
The Daytime Xi Orionids meteor showerDaytime Xi Orionids meteor shower: peak around 20 July, active early to late July.
The Daytime Zeta Perseids meteor showerDaytime Zeta Perseids meteor shower: peak around 9 June, active late May to early July.
The December Alpha Draconids meteor showerDecember Alpha Draconids meteor shower: peak around 8–9 December, active mid-November to late December.
The December Chi Virginids meteor showerDecember Chi Virginids meteor shower: peak around 9 December, active late November to mid-December.
The December Kappa Draconids meteor showerDecember Kappa Draconids meteor shower: peak around 2–3 December, active late November to mid-December.
The Delta Cancrids meteor showerDelta Cancrids meteor shower: peak around 17 January (historically listed), active about 1–24 January.
The Draconids meteor showerDraconids meteor shower: peak around 8–9 October, active about 6–10 October. Most years the Draconids are barely noticeable, with just a few
The Epsilon Geminids meteor showerEpsilon Geminids meteor shower: peak around 18 October, active about 14–27 October.
The Eta Aquariids meteor showerEta Aquariids meteor shower: peak around 5–6 May, active about 19 April to 28 May. The Eta Aquariids are pieces of the most famous comet of
The Eta Eridanids meteor showerEta Eridanids meteor shower: peak around 7 August, active about 31 July to 19 August.
The Eta Lyrids meteor showerEta Lyrids meteor shower: peak around 9–11 May, active about 3–14 May. The Eta Lyrids are a faint May shower, but they come from a comet wit
The February Eta Draconids meteor showerFebruary Eta Draconids meteor shower: peak around 4 February, only in rare years, active a few hours around 4 February, when it appears at a
The Gamma Crucids meteor showerGamma Crucids meteor shower: peak around 14 February, in active years, active mid-February, in active years.
The Gamma Delphinids meteor showerGamma Delphinids meteor shower: peak 11 June (seen only in 1930), active a single burst of about 30 minutes in 1930.
The Gamma Normids meteor showerGamma Normids meteor shower: peak around 14–15 March, active late February to late March.
The Gamma Ursae Minorids meteor showerGamma Ursae Minorids meteor shower: peak around 18–20 January, active about 10–22 January.
The Geminids meteor showerGeminids meteor shower: peak around 13–14 December, active about 4–20 December. The Geminids are, in most years, the richest meteor shower o
The h Virginids meteor showerh Virginids meteor shower: peak around 29 April, active about 18 April to 4 May. The h Virginids are a slow, faint shower of late April from
The Iota Aquariids meteor showerIota Aquariids meteor shower: peak Southern branch around 4–5 August; Northern branch around 20 August, active late July to late August.
The July Gamma Draconids meteor showerJuly Gamma Draconids meteor shower: peak around 28 July, active about 25–31 July. The July Gamma Draconids are a short, northern shower that
The July Pegasids meteor showerJuly Pegasids meteor shower: peak around 10–11 July, active early to late July. The July Pegasids are a small, swift shower that opens the s
The June Bootids meteor showerJune Bootids meteor shower: peak around 23–27 June, active about 22 June to 2 July.
The June Epsilon Ophiuchids meteor showerJune Epsilon Ophiuchids meteor shower: peak around 23 June, in active years, active about 19–26 June, in active years.
The June Lyrids meteor showerJune Lyrids meteor shower: peak around 15–16 June, in rare years, active about 11–21 June, when it appears.
The Kappa Cygnids meteor showerKappa Cygnids meteor shower: peak around 13–17 August, active early to late August.
The Kappa Ursae Majorids meteor showerKappa Ursae Majorids meteor shower: peak around 5–6 November, active late October to mid-November.
The Leonids meteor showerLeonids meteor shower: peak around 17–18 November, active about 6–30 November. No shower has shaped the science of meteors more than the Leo
The Leonis Minorids meteor showerLeonis Minorids meteor shower: peak around 24 October, active about 19–27 October.
The Lyrids meteor showerLyrids meteor shower: peak around 22–23 April, active about 14–30 April. The Lyrids are the oldest meteor shower in the historical record.
The Monocerotids meteor showerMonocerotids meteor shower: peak around 9 December, active about 1–19 December. The Monocerotids, or December Monocerotids, are a minor show
The Northern Delta Aquariids meteor showerNorthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower: peak around 8–12 August, active mid-July to late August.
The Northern Taurids meteor showerNorthern Taurids meteor shower: peak around 11–12 November, active about 20 October to 10 December.
The November Orionids meteor showerNovember Orionids meteor shower: peak around 28 November, active mid-November to early December.
The Nu Eridanids meteor showerNu Eridanids meteor shower: peak around 10–11 September, active late August to mid-September.
The October Camelopardalids meteor showerOctober Camelopardalids meteor shower: peak around 5–6 October (a sharp peak lasting under an hour), active about 5–6 October.
The Omicron Eridanids meteor showerOmicron Eridanids meteor shower: peak around 16–17 November, active about 10–27 November.
The Orionids meteor showerOrionids meteor shower: peak around 21–22 October, active about 2 October to 7 November. The Orionids are the autumn half of a pair.
The Perseids meteor showerPerseids meteor shower: peak around 12–13 August, active about 17 July to 24 August. For many people the Perseids are the meteor shower.
The Phoenicids meteor showerPhoenicids meteor shower: peak around 1–2 December, active about 1–5 December. The Phoenicids are a southern December shower famous for one
The Pi Puppids meteor showerPi Puppids meteor shower: peak around 23–24 April, active about 15–28 April. The Pi Puppids are a young, unpredictable southern shower, acti
The Piscis Austrinids meteor showerPiscis Austrinids meteor shower: peak around 28 July, active mid-July to about 10 August.
The Psi Ursae Majorids meteor showerPsi Ursae Majorids meteor shower: peak around 5 December, active late November to mid-December.
The Puppid-Velids meteor showerPuppid-Velids meteor shower: peak several weak maxima, the main one around 7 December, active about 1–15 December.
The Quadrantids meteor showerQuadrantids meteor shower: peak around 3–4 January, active late December to about 12 January.
The September Epsilon Perseids meteor showerSeptember Epsilon Perseids meteor shower: peak around 9 September, active about 5–21 September.
The September Lyncids meteor showerSeptember Lyncids meteor shower: peak around 13 September, active about 10 September to 8 October.
The Sigma Hydrids meteor showerSigma Hydrids meteor shower: peak around 7–9 December, active early to mid-December.
The Southern Delta Aquariids meteor showerSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower: peak around 30–31 July, active about 12 July to 23 August.
The Southern Taurids meteor showerSouthern Taurids meteor shower: peak broad maximum from about 10 October to early November (often quoted around 5 November), active about 10
The Tau Herculids meteor showerTau Herculids meteor shower: peak around 30–31 May, mainly in outburst years, active late May to early June.
The Theta Pyxidids meteor showerTheta Pyxidids meteor shower: peak around 2 December, active late November to early December.
The Ursids meteor showerUrsids meteor shower: peak around 21–22 December, active about 17–26 December. The Ursids close the meteor year.
The Virginids meteor showerVirginids meteor shower: peak several weak maxima in March and early April, active late January to mid-April.
The Volantids meteor showerVolantids meteor shower: peak around 31 December to 1 January, in active years, active late December to early January, in active years.
The Xi Ursae Majorids meteor showerXi Ursae Majorids meteor shower: peak around 21 January, active about 17–26 January. The Xi Ursae Majorids are a small January shower found

Impact events (1)

The Curuçá event, 1930The 'Brazilian Tunguska': a jungle explosion known mostly from one written account.

Asteroids (1)

PhaethonPhaethon is the asteroid behind the Geminids, one of the richest meteor showers of the year.

Comets (20)

Comet 169P/NEATThe faint parent of the Alpha Capricornids, a summer shower famous for slow, bright fireballs.
2003 EH1, the Quadrantid parentA dark rock that may be all that is left of a comet seen in 1490, and the parent of the Quadrantids.
Comet 209P/LINEARA faint, worn-out comet whose much-hyped meteor shower in 2014 taught astronomers how little dust some comets make.
Comet BielaThe comet that split in two and vanished, leaving only spectacular meteor storms to show where it had been.
Comet BlanpainA tiny comet lost for 184 years, found again as an asteroid, and the source of the Phoenicid meteor storm of 1956.
Comet EnckeThe comet with the shortest period of any well-known comet, and the source of the Taurids and their bright fireballs.
Comet FinlayA comet that gave birth to a new southern meteor shower, the Arids, first seen in 2021.
Comet Giacobini–ZinnerThe parent of the October Draconids, and the first comet ever visited by a spacecraft.
Comet Grigg–SkjellerupThe second comet Giotto visited, and the parent of the southern Pi Puppids. Grigg–Skjellerup goes round the Sun every five years or so.
Halley's CometThe most famous comet of all, and the parent of two meteor showers: the Eta Aquariids in May and the Orionids in October.
Comet IRAS–Araki–AlcockThe comet that passed closer to Earth in 1983 than any other for two centuries, and the parent of the Eta Lyrids.
Comet KiessA long-period comet whose single narrow dust trail gives the Aurigids rare, predictable outbursts.
Comet MachholzA strange, sun-scorched comet at the centre of a family of comets and meteor showers.
Comet MellishA comet of 1917 that is the parent of the December Monocerotids, and possibly of several other faint showers.
Comet Pons–WinneckeA comet whose orbit Jupiter keeps reshaping, which explains the surprise outbursts of the June Bootids.
Comet Schwassmann–Wachmann 3A comet caught falling to pieces, which gave the Tau Herculid shower its first real display in 2022.
Comet Swift–TuttleThe 26-kilometre comet whose dust gives the Perseids every August, and the largest object that regularly passes close to Earth.
Comet Tempel–TuttleThe small comet behind the Leonids, whose dust trails have produced the greatest meteor storms ever seen.
Comet ThatcherThe comet behind the April Lyrids, the oldest meteor shower on record. Comet Thatcher swings round the Sun once every four centuries or so.
Comet TuttleA double-lobed comet whose dust brings the Ursids just before Christmas. Tuttle goes round the Sun every 13.6 years, reaching from just outs

Micrometeorites (1)

Where do micrometeorites come from?Micrometeorites begin as dust shed by comets and ground off asteroids in collisions.

Myths and folklore (4)

Five stones fell in SongOne of the oldest dated records of a meteorite fall, from China's ancient chronicles.
The Tears of St LawrenceThe August meteors named after a martyred saint. Lawrence of Rome was a deacon put to death in the year 258, during a persecution of Christi
The night the stars fell, 1833A meteor storm so intense that people across North America thought the world was ending.
Wishing on a shooting starWhy do so many people make a wish when a meteor flashes across the sky? Few customs about the sky are as widespread as making a wish on a sh

People (6)

Denison OlmstedThe Yale professor who studied the great Leonid meteor storm of 1833 and showed that meteors come from space.
Evgeny KrinovThe Soviet meteorite scientist who studied Tunguska with Kulik and led the field study of the 1947 Sikhote-Alin iron shower.
Giovanni SchiaparelliThe Milan astronomer who showed in 1866 that the Perseid meteors follow the orbit of a comet.
Hubert Anson NewtonThe Yale mathematician who traced the Leonid meteor storms back a thousand years and predicted their return in 1866.
Leonid KulikThe Soviet mineralogist who led the first expeditions to the site of the 1908 Tunguska explosion.
Peter JenniskensThe meteor astronomer who led the desert search that found the first meteorites from an asteroid tracked in space before impact.

#Meteor showers

Lessons (2)

Courses (5)

Books (1)

Space missions (3)

Glossary (32)

Questions and answers (21)

Meteor showers (80)

Impact events (1)

Asteroids (1)

Comets (20)

Micrometeorites (1)

Myths and folklore (4)

People (6)