Meteor Showers!

Updated for 2025 and into 2026!

Meteor showers happen several times throughout the year, but their visibility depends on a few factors, some predictable, some not.  The biggest predictable factor is the Moon phase, so here are the best chances we have to see meteors in the coming months with that in mind:

The Delta Aquariids peak on July 30-31, with around 25 meteors/hour expected at the peak.  The shower was first identified in 1870, but it wasn't until 2008 that the parent comet was discovered, P/2008 Y12 SOHO.

The Perseids peak around August 12, with around 100 meteors per hour expected at the peak.  This year, however, there will be a big gibbous moon interfering with observations, so only the brightest ones will be visible.  This shower was first identified in AD 36, and its parent comet is 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

The Orionids peak on October 21-22, with around 20 meteors/hour expected at the peak.  This shower was first identified in 1839, and its parent comet is the famous 1P/Halley.

The Leonids peak on November 17, with around 10 meteors per hour at the peak.  Even though this is not very many, this shower is known for its bright fireballs.  It was first recorded as far back as AD 902 but became famous in 1833 due to an outburst of over 100,000 meteors per hour!  This year there will only be a thin crescent moon at the very end of the night that won't interfere too much with viewing.  The parent comet is 55P/Tempel–Tuttle.

The Geminids peak on December 13-14, with up to 150 meteors/hour expected at the peak.  A crescent moon will be interfering slightly with observations, so some of the fainter meteors may not be visible.  This shower was first identified in 1862, and its parent body is the active asteroid 3200 Phaethon.

For all meteor showers, the best viewing is in the early morning, between midnight and sunrise. Find a nice dark area where you can get an open view of the whole sky. Then just lay back and look up! Binoculars or a telescope won't help you here, so just use your eyes.

Looking ahead to 2026, the showers with the best chance for viewing will be the Lyrids in April, the Perseids in August, and the Geminids in December.