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 |