Common Meteor Showers

Often called falling stars, meteors are specks of dust that burn up when they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. When the earth passes through cosmic dust, or debris from a comet, many meteors can be seen, which is called a meteor shower.

During the Geminids Meteor Shower, over 100 meteors can be seen in an hour, although most showers produce far less. The adjacent chart lists common meteor showers by name and date. The constellation is where the meteors appear to be originating from. The peak viewing date varies each year so consult a current meteor shower guide for the best night to watch meteors.

Shower Name	Dates	Constellation	Average Per Hour
Quantranids	January 1 to 4	Draco	30
Lyrids	April 19 to 23	Lyra	10
May Aquarids	May 1 to 6	Aquarius	10
Delta Aquarids	July 26 to 31	Aquarius	15
Perseids	August 10 to 14	Perseus	60
Orionids	October 18 to 23	Orion	15
Taurids	November 1 to 15	Taurus	10
Leonids	November 14 to 18	Leo	10
Geminids	December 10 to 16	Gemini	60
Ursids	December 21 to 23	Ursa Major	15

Back to stargazing and astronomy