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Annual Meteor Showers

 

Date
Description
Duration
January 4 Quadrantids: Radiant — Bootes. Very short lived shower, less that one day. Variable rate, but generally around 60 per hour. Speed 41 kps and bluish color.
January 16 Delta Cancrids: Radiant — just west of Beehive. Minor shower, rate about 4 per hour. Very swift.
January 18 Coma Berenicids: Radiant — near Coma star cluster. Only one or two per hour, but among fastest meteors known — 65 kps.
February 26 Delta Leonids: Radiant — midway in Leo’s back. Feb. 5 to Mar. 19 with peak in late Feb. 5 per hour at 24 kps.
March 16 Corona-Australids: Radiant — 16 hr 20 min, -48 deg. 5 to 7 per hour from Mar. 14 to Mar. 18.
March 22 Camelopardalids: No definite peak, with only one per hour. Slowest meteors at 7 kps.
March 22 March Geminids: Discovered in 1973 and confirmed in 1975. Rate generally about 40 per hour. Seem to be very slow meteors.
April 4 Kappa Serpentids: Radiant — near Corona Borealis . 4 or 5 per hour from Apr. 1 to 7.
April 7 Delta Draconids: Radiant — near Cepheus border. From Mar. 28 to Apr. 7. Slow meteors at about 5 per hour.
April 10 Virginids: Radiant — near Gamma in bowl of Virgo. 20 per hour.
April 15 April Fireballs: Radiant — between The Water Jar and Scutum, very erratic. From April 15 to 30 many bright bolides from Southeastern sky.
April 17 Sigma Leonids: Radiant — at Leo Virgo border, actually has moved into Virgo in recent years. Weak shower of 1 to 2 per hour.
April 22 Lyrids: Radiant — near Vega. 15 per hour, bright and long lasting meteors. From Comet Thatcher.
April 25 Mu Virginids: Radiant — near Libra. 7 to 10 per hour of medium speed meteors.
April 28 Alpha Bootids: Radiant — near Arcturus. From Apr. 14 to May 13. Slow meteors with fine trails.
May 1 Phi Bootids: Radiant — near Hercules. From Apr. 16 to May 12. 6 per hour.
May 3 Alpha Scorpiids: Radiant — Near Antares. From Apr. 16 to May 9.
May 4 Eta Aquarids: Radiant — near Water Jar. From Apr. 21 to May 12. 21 per hour, yellow with bright trails. Comet Halley debris.
June 3 Tau Herculids: Radiant — near Corona Borealis. About a month long, 15 per hour max, most quite faint.
June 5 Scorpiids: Radiant — near Ophiuchus. 20 per hour with some fireballs.
June 7 Arietids: About 30 per hour. Slow moving with some fireballs.
June 13 Ophiuchids: Radiant — near Scorpius. Only 3 per hour but fast moving bolides are common. 25 days
June 16 June Lyrids: Radiant — near Vega. Another part of May Lyrid meteor stream. 15 per hour, faint blue meteors.
June 20 Ophiuchids: Radiant — near Sagitarrius. Rate varies from 8 to 20, with occasionally many more.
June 30 June Draconids: Radiant — near handle of Big Dipper. Rate varies from 10 to 100 per hour. Pons-Winnecke Comet is parent.
July 28 Delta Aquarids: Radiant — near Capricornus. 25 per hour, slow (24 kps) with yellow trails. 40 days
July 30 Capricornids: Radiant — near Aquarius. Tough to tell these from Delta Aquarids. 10 to 35 per hour with bolides.
August 10 Perseids: Radiant — near Double cluster. 50 to 100 per hour, yellow with trails and bolides. The best modern dependable shower. 5 days.
August 20 Kappa Cygnids: Radiant — near Deneb. 12 per hour with many fireballs. Duration–15 days.
August 31 Andromedids: Radiant — near Cassiopeia. Occasionally spectacular, usually 20 per hour. Some red fireballs with trails. Biela’s Comet parent.
September 23 Alpha Aurigids: Radiant — near Capella. 12 per hour, fast with trails.
October 7 Piscids: Radiant — near Aries. 15 per hour at 28 kps.
October 9 Draconids: Raidiant — near Hercules. Spectacular when comet Giacobinni-Zinner passes near Earth. 200 per hour when comet is close is not uncommon, 1000 per hour sometimes.
October 20 Orionids: Radiant — near Taurus. 30 per hour, fast (67 kps) often in colors with long trails. 8 days.
November 5 Taurids: Radiant — near Pleiades. 10 per hour with many fireballs. Debris from comet Encke. 45 days.
November 12 Pegasids: Radiant — Near Square. from Oct. 10 to late Nov., 10 per hour, used to be spectacular.
November 17 Leonids: Radiant — near Sickle. Most spectacular of modern showers. 1966 saw 500,000 per hour — 140 per second. Comet Temple — Tuttle is parent. 20 per hour between 33 year shows, fastest known at 71 kps. 4 days.
Decmeber 10 Monocerids: Radiant — near Gemini. 12 per hour.
Decmeber 11 Sigma Hydrids: Radiant — near Head. 12 per hour, fast.
Decmeber 14 Geminids: Radiant — near Castor. 60 per hour, many bright, white but few trails. Icarus, the Earth-crossing asteroid seems to be the parent. 6 days.
Decmeber 14 Leo Minorids: 10 per hour, somewhat faint. Discovered by amateurs in 1971.
Decmeber 20 Delta Arietids: 12 per hour, must view in early evening, before radiant sets.
Dec. 22 Ursids: Radiant — Little Dipper Bowl. Medium speed, 20 per hour, many with bright trails. 2 days