Meteor Shower Predictor

2026 meteor shower calendar

Major showers and their peak dates. Showers are active for days or weeks around the peak.

Viewing conditions

• Moon: A bright Moon hides faint meteors. Best on new Moon or when the Moon has set. If the Moon is up, look away from it.
• Light pollution: Dark sky = many more meteors. Suburban = fewer; city = only the brightest. Drive away from lights if you can.
• Time: Best is usually after midnight until dawn. That's when your side of Earth faces "forward" into the debris. Let your eyes adapt for 20–30 minutes.
• Weather: You need clear sky. Clouds block meteors. Check the forecast and dress warmly—nights get cold.

How to watch

• You don't need a telescope. Your eyes are best—meteors can appear anywhere. Lie back on a blanket or chair and look up.
• Don't stare only at the radiant. Meteors near it look short; look 40–60° away for longer streaks. Scan the whole sky.
• Give yourself at least an hour. Meteors come in bursts—you might see several in a minute, then nothing for a while.
• Use a red torch if you need light so your eyes stay dark-adapted. Avoid phone screens.

The science in simple terms

• What are meteors? Tiny bits of rock or dust from comets and asteroids. They hit our air at huge speeds and heat up—the streak you see is glowing air, not the rock itself. Most are smaller than a grain of sand.
• Why the same dates every year? Earth orbits the Sun on a fixed path. We cross the same debris trails on the same dates. So the Perseids peak around 12 August every year.
• Radiant: Meteors in a shower all come from the same direction in space. From the ground they seem to spread out from one point in the sky—that point is the "radiant." Showers are named after the constellation that holds the radiant (e.g. Perseids from Perseus).
• ZHR: Zenithal Hourly Rate = how many meteors per hour you'd see in perfect conditions (dark sky, radiant high, no Moon). In reality you often see 30–70% of that number.

Meteor facts

• • Shooting stars aren't stars—they're small bits of rock or dust burning up in the air.
• • About 100 tons of cosmic dust hits Earth every day. Most is tiny and harmless.
• • The Geminids (December) come from an asteroid, not a comet. They're one of the best showers of the year.
• • Meteor storms (thousands per hour) are rare. The Leonids sometimes do this when Earth hits a dense part of Comet Tempel-Tuttle's trail—e.g. 1833 and 1966.
• • Almost all meteors burn up completely. Only very large ones reach the ground as meteorites.

Famous meteor events

• 1833 Leonid storm: So many meteors that people thought the stars were falling. It helped scientists understand that showers come from comet debris.
• 1966 Leonids: Another huge storm—dozens of meteors per second for a short time over the USA.
• 2013 Chelyabinsk: A large rock exploded over Russia. It wasn't a shower meteor but reminded us that space rocks are real. Many people were hurt by broken glass from the blast.

Photographing meteors

Use a camera that can do long exposures (e.g. 15–30 seconds), a wide-angle lens, and a tripod. Point 40–60° away from the radiant. Set a high ISO (e.g. 1600–3200) and shoot many frames—meteors are random, so patience helps. Watch with your eyes first; use the camera as a bonus.

Myths vs truth

• Myth: You need a telescope. Truth: Your eyes are best. Telescopes show a tiny patch of sky and you'd miss most meteors.
• Myth: Look at the radiant. Truth: Look 40–60° away from it for longer, brighter streaks.
• Myth: You'll see the full ZHR. Truth: ZHR is for ideal conditions. Expect about half in good conditions, less with Moon or light pollution.
• Myth: Meteors are dangerous. Truth: They burn up high in the air. You're safe watching from the ground.

Quick questions

When is the best time of night?

Usually after midnight until dawn. Your location is then facing into Earth's direction of travel, so you hit more debris. Before midnight you're on the "back" of Earth and see fewer.

How does the Moon affect viewing?

A bright Moon lights the sky and hides fainter meteors. New Moon or a Moon that sets early is best. If the Moon is up, look at the opposite part of the sky.

Where can I get exact times for my location?

The International Meteor Organization (IMO) and NASA Meteor Watch have detailed forecasts. Apps like Stellarium show when the radiant rises and sets for your coordinates.