How to Spot Meteor Showers Throughout the Year

The annual Perseid meteor shower

Meteor showers happen consistently each year. Fall brings the most meteor showers to the northern hemisphere sky; October alone reveals three. But visibility depends on the position of the moon and night sky clarity. Mark your calendar, and set your alarm clock. You'll have to wake before dawn or get up in the middle of the night to catch the show.

Instructions

1. Bundle up for the Quadrantid Maximum Meteor Shower in the first week of January (peaking on the night of January 3rd into the 4th). This shower originates from where the constellations Hercules, Boötes and Draco meet in the sky.
   This meteor shower can be challenging to see. Plan to look for it on the morning of the 4th, during the dark hours just before sunrise.

2. Watch for the shooting stars of the Lyrid meteor shower from April 16 to 23. This shower originates from the constellation Lyra and averages around 10 meteors per hour. The best visibility for this shower is when the moon is out of the way, according to the EarthSky science site. If you're lucky, you might see a Lyrid rireball, a meteor that leaves a smoky debris trail that can be viewed for a minute or more.

3. If you don't catch the Lyrid shower, plan to see the Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower between April 21 to May 12 between 3:20am and sunrise. This shower originates from the constellation Aquarius. The best show is in the southern hemisphere (30 meteors per hour) but the northern hemisphere sees an average of 10 meteors per hour.

4. On warm summer nights, spread your sleeping bag out and gaze up at the Alpha Capricornid Meteor Shower, which runs from mid July to early September. The biggest shows are late July and early August. This shower originates from the constellation Capricorn and has some of the brightest meteors.

5. 

   The Perseids meteor shower in Nevada.

   Don't miss one of the most well-known summer meteor showers -- the Perseid meteors. From July 17 to August 24, this shower originates from the constellation Perseus and displays an average of 50 to150 meteors per hour. Start watching around midnight for a few morning hours. Some nights you may see 400 to 1,000 meteors per hour.

6. In October, head outside to see the October Draconid shower (first week of October) or the Orionid Meteor Shower (October 15 to 29).

7. Before Thanksgiving, plan to catch the Taurid meteor shower from November 5 to 12. It originates from the constellation Taurus and displays the most meteors around midnight to 1 a.m. Or if you have really keen eyes, watch for the Leonid meteor shower from November 13 to 21. This shower can be hard to detect unless you view them or on the peak night (which changes from year to year). But if the peak night is clear, you will generally see around 10 meteors per hour.

8. 

   The Geminids meteor shower

   Make meteor watching part of your holiday plans. The Geminid meteor shower occurs between December 6 to18 and originates from the constellation Gemini. This shower can be one of the best shows of the year if the sky is clear. You can start watching this one around 9 or 10 p.m. and it produces 50 to 80 meteors per hour during its peak and up to 120 to 160 meteors at times.

Tips & Warnings

• Use binoculars to get a closer look.

• Check a lunar calendar to see if the moon will be bright on the night you are observing.

References

• EarthSky: Meteor Shower Guide 2011
• Meteor Showers Online: Observing the Alpha Capricornids
• NASA: Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance

Resources

• U.S. Navy: Moon Phase Calendar