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Meteors
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METEOR SHOWERS
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WHAT ARE METEOR SHOWERS?
- Meteor showers are caused by debris from a comet burning up in our atmosphere
- This produces spectacular shooting stars which blaze across the night sky
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WHY DO METEOR SHOWERS HAPPEN?
When comets pass through space, they leave behind a trail of dust and ice. If the Earth then crosses this trail, these comet fragments will burn up in our atmosphere. From the ground, we see them as jets of bright light, shooting across the sky.
The Earth follows the same path around the Sun every year. So it always crosses a comet trail at the same point in its orbit, and we see meteor showers at the same time every year.
 Learn more about comets
HOW CAN I SEE METEORS?
Because meteors move across the sky so fast, there is no point in trying to see them through a telescope. Meteor showers are one of the few astronomical phenomena which are best seen with the naked eye. All you need to do is make yourself comfortable, and look up at the right part of the sky.
Each meteor in a shower comes from the same point in the sky - known as the 'radiant'. Meteor showers are named after the constellation from which they appear. (For example, Leonids always appear around the constellation of Leo).
There is always a chance of spotting random meteors too.
To find out whether a shooting star is part of a meteor shower, you can hold a ruler up in line with the trail. Then follow the trail back, and see whether it crosses the shower's radiant.
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METEOR SHOWER CALENDAR
Plan your meteor watching with our calendar. We've selected the showers we think will give the best displays. But meteor showers can often produce surprises. See the links at the bottom of the page for more comprehensive information.
Shower
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Active
(Peak*)
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Best Hemisphere
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| Perseids |
23 Jul - 22 Aug
(12 Aug 9.20am) |
North |
| Orionids |
15 - 29 Oct
(21 Oct 1.30am) |
Both |
| Leonids |
13 - 20 Nov
(17 Nov 7.30am) |
Both |
| Geminids |
6 - 19 Dec
(13 Dec 8.45pm) |
Both |
* All times are in Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time)
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