Meteors or shooting stars are caused by dust particles from comets burning up in the atmosphere at a height of about 100km (60 miles). There are sporadic meteors falling all the time, but at set times in the year there are meteor events when the Earth's orbit takes it through the tail of a comet. The meteors appear in a set area of the sky and seem to originate from a single point. Ths point is known as the radiant, and the meteor shower is normally named after the constellation that the radiant appears to be in.
This is a list of the most common meteor showers that are easily visable to the naked eye, and when to look out for them.
JANUARY
The Quadrantids
- Appear: Northern Hemisphere only
- Radiant: Bootes (Near the handle of the Big Dipper/Ursa Major
- Occur: 1st week of January
- Peak: 3rd-4th January
- Maximum Activity: 100 meteors/hour at peak
- Description: Faint meteors, best viewed after midnight when the radiant is high in the sky.
APRIL
The Lyrids
- Appear: Both latitudes, but best seen in the Northern Hemisphere
- Radiant: Lyra (Vega, one of the stars in Lyra, is the fifth brightest star in the sky, not too hard to spot.)
- Occur: 18th-23rd April
- Peak: 21st April
- Maximum Actvity: 10 meteors/hour at peak
- Description: Fast and bright with spectacular trails.
MAY
The Eta Aquarids
- Appear: Both latitudes, but best seen in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Radiant: Aquarius (Caused by dust from Halley's Comet.)
- Occur: Late April into late May
- Peak: 5th May, but is good throughout the first week.
- Maximum Activity: 35 meteors/hour at peak
- Description: Bright and fast moving.
AUGUST
The Perseids
- Appear: Northern Hemisphere only
- Radiant: Perseus
- Occur: Throughout late July and August
- Peak: 12th August
- Maximum Activity: 75+ meteors/hour at peak
- Description: The best meteor shower of the year. Meteors often flare, are bright and fast moving and often leave trails.
See also: Perseid Meteor Shower
OCTOBER
The Orionids
- Appear: Both latitudes
- Radiant: Orion (Again, caused by dust from Halley's comet.)
- Occur: 18th-23rd October
- Peak: 21st October
- Maximum Activity: 25 meteors/hour at peak
- Description: Fast moving, but faint. Best viewed after midnight when the radiant is high in the sky.
NOVEMBER
The Taurids
- Appear: Both latitudes
- Radiant: Taurus (near the Seven Sisters/Pleiades)
- Occur: Throughout late October and November
- Peak: 5th November, but is good throughout the first week.
- Maximum Activity: 10 meteors/hour at peak
- Description: Bright and slow moving.
The Leonids
- Appear: Both latitudes
- Radiant: Leo (Caused by Tempel-Tuttle comet with a peak time of activity every 33 years. The last peak was in 1999.)
- Occur: 16th-18th November
- Peak: 17th November
- Maximum Activity: 10 meteors/hour at peak normally, but at peak times of activity in 33 year cycle appears that the sky is lit with fireworks.
- Description: Bright and fast moving often with trails.
See also Leonid meteor shower
DECEMBER
The Geminids
- Appear: Both latitudes
- Radiant: Gemini
- Occur: 8th-18th December
- Peak: 13th December
- Maximum Activity: 100 meteors/hour at peak
- Description: Second best meteor shower of the year. Meteors are very bright.
Data compiled from Eyewitness Handbook: Stars and Planets
See also:
http://stardate.org/