Meteor Showers
Discover the best meteor showers visible from your city — with countdowns, moon conditions, and observation tips.
Other meteor showers 2026
Other meteor showers 2027
Meteor Showers
Select a city to see which meteor showers are visible from your location and when to watch them.
What Are Meteor Showers?
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through trails of debris left behind by comets or asteroids. These tiny particles — often no larger than a grain of sand — burn up in our atmosphere at speeds of 20 to 70 km/s, creating bright streaks of light known as shooting stars.
Each shower has a radiant point — the area of sky from which the meteors appear to originate. The shower is named after the constellation where this radiant lies. The zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) indicates how many meteors an observer could see per hour under ideal conditions.
Dark Skies
Get away from city lights. Even a short drive can dramatically improve visibility. Use a light pollution map to find the darkest spots near you.
Give Your Eyes Time
Allow 20–30 minutes for your eyes to adapt to darkness. Avoid looking at your phone or any bright lights during this time.
Look Away from the Radiant
Meteors near the radiant appear short. Looking 45–90° away shows longer, more dramatic trails across the sky.
Best Time: After Midnight
After midnight, your location rotates into the debris stream, increasing meteor rates. The hours before dawn are typically best.
Moon Phase Impact
The moon's brightness significantly affects meteor watching. A bright moon washes out fainter meteors, reducing the number you can see. Here's how different illumination levels affect your experience:
Near-perfect conditions. The darkest skies reveal even the faintest meteors. Expect to see close to the full ZHR.
Slight moonlight reduces faint meteors, but bright ones are still spectacular. Good conditions overall.
Noticeable moonlight. Only the brightest meteors are visible. Try observing after the moon sets.
Strong moonlight significantly reduces visibility. Only the very brightest fireballs will be visible.
Meteor Photography Tips
Use a wide-angle lens (14–24mm) with the widest aperture (f/2.8 or lower)
Set ISO to 3200–6400 and expose for 15–25 seconds on a sturdy tripod
Use an intervalometer to shoot continuously — you'll catch more meteors with hundreds of frames
Include foreground elements like trees or mountains for a more compelling composition
A rough estimate for a dark site: ZHR × height of the radiant, reduced in twilight and by moonlight. City lights cut the number further.
How many meteors will I really see? The ZHR assumes the radiant straight overhead and a perfectly dark sky. With the radiant lower, moonlight and light pollution you see far fewer – often a third to half. Our hourly estimate includes radiant height, twilight and the moon, but not city lights.
Do I need binoculars or a telescope? No – meteors flash across large parts of the sky within a second. The naked eye is best: lie back, look about 45° up, away from the moon, and give your eyes 20 minutes to adapt.