On the calendar
Meteor showers
A few nights a year, the sky throws shooting stars on schedule.
When and where to look
The best ones are the Perseids in mid August, the Geminids in mid December and the Quadrantids in early January. Most showers are richest after midnight, when your side of Earth faces into the stream.
Why it happens
A meteor shower happens when Earth passes through the dust a comet left behind. The grains burn up high in the atmosphere as streaks of light, and because the dates of the crossing repeat, the showers come back every year.
The next dates
- Taurid meteor shower, Thursday 5 November (UTC)
- Leonid meteor shower, Tuesday 17 November (UTC)
- Geminid meteor shower, Monday 14 December (UTC)
- Quadrantid meteor shower, Sunday 3 January (UTC)
How to catch one
- Get away from streetlights and give your eyes twenty minutes to adjust.
- Lie back and take in as much sky as you can; meteors appear anywhere.
- A bright moon washes out the faint ones, so moonless nights are best.
- Peak rates are counted under perfect skies; expect fewer, and enjoy each one.
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