Don't miss the Orionid meteor shower peak tonight (Oct. 21-22) as tiny shards of Halley's Comet collide with Earth's atmosphere to carve fiery streaks through the Autumn sky! But will the light cast by the waxing gibbous moon spoil the show?

The Orionid meteor shower activity peaks when Earth travels through the densest section of the debris trail left by Comet 1P/Halley. The comet is currently racing back towards the sun ahead of its next visit to the inner solar system in 2061.

Under perfect dark sky conditions 10 to 20 shooting stars could brighten the night sky each hour as the peak unfolds, according to NASA. However, the light cast by the waxing moon — just four days from being full — will likely reduce the number of visible meteors by hiding fainter Orionids from sight.

Orionid shooting stars will appear to travel away from a point of origin, close to the red star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion, rising above the eastern horizon an hour before midnight for viewers in the U.S.

When and where to see Orionid shooting stars this October

Your best chance at spotting the fast-moving meteors will come in the hours before dawn on Oct. 22, after the moon has set and the radiant approaches its highest point in the night sky. It's best not to stare directly at the radiant, where the glowing meteor trails will be relatively short compared to those left by shooting stars that appear 45-90 degrees away from the bright star Betelgeuse, thanks to an effect known as foreshortening.

Try to travel away from city lights and allow 20-30 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark. Always make sure someone knows where you're going if you head somewhere remote to catch the shower and be sure to take a red light to ensure that you can find your way while also preserving your night vision!

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your Orionid shooting star photos with Space.com's readers, then please send your image(s), along with your name, location and comments to spacephotos@space.com.

The Orionid meteor shower peaks overnight on Oct. 21-22, triggering a spectacular display of shooting stars as Earth plunges through the densest part of the debris trail shed by Halley's Comet. Here's what you need to know.

When is the best time to see Orionid shooting stars?

Orionid meteors are best spotted between the hours of midnight and dawn on Oct. 22, when 10-20 shooting stars may be seen brightening the night sky each hour under ideal dark-sky.

The glare cast by the 74%-lit waxing gibbous moon will hide fainter shooting stars for much of the night. Thankfully, the lunar disk will set a few hours after midnight, leaving a window of beautifully dark sky before dawn in which to enjoy the full majesty of the annual meteor shower. Remember to use a trusted website like Time and Date to discover the exact moment of moonset for your location.

Where should I look to see Orionid meteors?

Orionid shooting stars will appear to originate from a patch of sky, or radiant, located close to the red giant star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion, which glistens above the southeastern horizon for stargazers in the U.S. during the early hours of Oct. 22.

For the best views look 40-90 degrees away from the radiant, where the glowing trains left in the wake of the fast-moving meteors will be at their longest. Be sure to head away from artificial lights and allow 20-30 minutes for your eyes to fully adapt to the dark for the best

What causes the Orionid meteor shower?

The Orionid meteor shower is active each year as Earth passes through the stream of debris left behind by Comet 1P/Halley, which was observed by a fleet of spacecraft when it last visited the inner solar system in 1986.

Shooting stars become visible when particles of the ancient comet collide with our planet's atmosphere at 147,600 miles per hour (237,539 kilometers per hour), vaporizing in a spectacular display of natural fireworks.

Hoping to catch a shooting star for yourself? Then be sure to read our guide to photographing meteor showers, along with our picks of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your Orionid photos with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

If you love watching meteors, 2026 has given you plenty to enjoy. This summer, the annual Perseid meteor shower peaked on the day of a new moon — and a solar eclipse — so moonlight stayed out of the way. And there's more to look forward to: in December, the Geminids, the year's most prolific shower, will peak after a waxing crescent moon sets early in the evening, opening the door to excellent viewing.

Right between those two headline showers, the dependable Orionids take their turn, reaching peak activity around Oct. 21-22.

So, when and where can you catch the show?

When and where to watch

The Orionids take their name from the spot where they seem to fan out: Orion's raised club, just above and to the left of the reddish star Betelgeuse. Orion is usually a winter favorite, so in early autumn the mighty hunter doesn't fully clear the eastern horizon until after 11 p.m. local daylight time. Don't rush outside just yet though. Wait until around 2 a.m., when Orion is well above the horizon. By about 5 a.m., just before dawn, Orion reaches its highest point in the southern sky — and the view should be at its best.

Orionid meteors tend to be faint, so city lights can easily wash them out. If you can, head to a safe, dark rural spot. Get comfortable in a reclining lawn chair or sleeping bag, give your eyes time to adjust, and enjoy the view overhead and toward the southern sky.

Why the moon won't spoil the show

And what about the moon? A full moon arrives October 25-26, but there's still a welcome stretch of dark sky for several mornings before Wednesday.

By Oct. 21-22, the waxing gibbous moon will be resting among the dim stars of Capricornus, reaching its highest point around 8:45 p.m. local daylight time. Here's the good news: it will set shortly after 2 a.m., leaving roughly 3½ hours of dark sky before dawn. In that window, one observer may spot as many as 15 to 20 Orionids per hour. Because those hours line up with the shower's peak, the moon shouldn't steal the show this year.

Halley's Comet: the source of the Orionids

So, where do the Orionids come from? Their story begins with Halley's Comet—the same famous visitor behind May's Eta Aquarids.

Meteoroids are tiny leftovers from a comet's nucleus. As a comet nears the sun, frozen material on its surface turns directly into gas, a process known as sublimation. The comet becomes a kind of cosmic litterbug, sprinkling dust and debris along its orbit. Those pieces are tiny and brittle, with the consistency of cigar ash, and every swing past the sun leaves more behind.

Comets are among the solar system's oldest and most fascinating objects. They formed alongside the sun and planets about 4.6 billion years ago, yet they have changed remarkably little. Think of them as time capsules from the solar system's childhood. Far beyond the outer planets, they spend most of their time in a deep freeze, where temperatures hover just above absolute zero, -459.67°F (-273.15°C). In that extreme cold, chemical reactions largely stop, helping comets preserve material from those earliest days.

Over the past 100,000 years, Halley's Comet has probably circled the sun well over a thousand times, leaving a fresh trail of debris on every visit. Each October and May, Earth brushes close to Halley's orbit. Some of that dust meets our atmosphere at a breathtaking 41 miles (66 km) per second, lighting up as the streaks we call "shooting stars."

The Orionids have another lovely feature: about half of these meteors leave glowing trails that linger longer than those of equally bright meteors. Halley's composition may be the reason. The particles begin burning up about 80 miles (130 km) above Earth, perhaps because they're made of lightweight material from the comet's diffuse surface rather than its core.

Looking backward . . . and forward

Perhaps you remember seeing Halley's Comet when it last swept through the inner solar system in late winter and early spring of 1986. With an orbital period of 75.4 years, this celebrated visitor is due back in late July or early August 2061.

For a little perspective, average life expectancy is 79.5 years in the United States, 82.2 years in the United Kingdom, and 83.4 years in Canada. So, if you were born after 1980, there's a fair chance you'll be here to welcome the "mother of all Orionids" home in 2061.

As for me, I saw Halley in 1986 at the "advanced age" of 30. The odds of another reunion are pretty long — you can do the math.

Until then, I'll be more than happy to step outside early on Wednesday morning and greet a few of "Halley's children." I hope you'll join me.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, Sky and Telescope, The Old Farmer's Almanac and other publications.

They don't produce anything like the torrent of "shooting stars" associated with August's Perseids or December's Geminids, but the Taurid meteor showers have something else going for them — fireballs.

The Taurids are famous for occasionally producing exceptionally bright, slow-moving meteors that can streak dramatically across the night sky from September to December. As a bonus, they're visible from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. That's because they appear to emanate from the constellation Taurus, which sits close to the ecliptic, the apparent path the sun takes across the sky as Earth orbits around it.

The Taurids are actually two closely related showers — the Southern Taurids and Northern Taurids — whose activity overlaps in late October and November. That's why they're known informally by skywatchers as the "Halloween fireballs." The broad overlapping peaks make the Taurids less about watching on one particular night and more about keeping an eye on the night sky for several weeks. Both have their radiant points — the place in the night sky where their "shooting stars" appear to come from — close to the famous Pleiades (M45) open cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus.

There's another tempting reason to watch the Taurids in 2026 — moonlight will cause little interference around the main peaks.

When are the Southern Taurids?

The Southern Taurids are already underway. According to the American Meteor Society, they're active from Sept. 20 through Nov. 20, with two distinct components. The annual component peaks around Oct. 14, while a component particularly associated with fireballs peaks overnight on Nov. 4-5. That's the night to circle if you're hoping to see one of the "Halloween Fireballs."

However, don't expect a conventional meteor storm. The Southern Taurids have an average zenithal hourly rate of about five meteors per hour. ZHR describes how many meteors an observer could theoretically see under ideal conditions with the shower's radiant directly overhead. In practice, observers see fewer, so this is not a chance to gather friends for a special show, as with the Perseids.

What the Southern Taurids lack in quantity, however, they can make up for in quality. Their meteors strike Earth's atmosphere at about 17 miles (27 kilometers) per second. That's relatively slow for a meteor, helping make some Taurids conspicuous as they travel across the sky. You don't see a Taurid meteor; you watch it.

If clouds allow, conditions should be favorable around Nov. 4-5. The moon will be absent most of the night, rising a couple of hours before dawn as a 17%-illuminated waning crescent — too dim to affect visibility of meteors.

When are the Northern Taurids?

The Northern Taurids begin later, becoming active on Oct. 20 and continuing through Dec. 10, according to the American Meteor Society. They're expected to peak overnight on Nov. 11-12.

Once again, rates are low — around five meteors per hour under ideal conditions — but fireballs are possible. Northern Taurid meteors enter the atmosphere at around 18 miles (29 km) per second, similarly as slow as their southern counterparts.

Observing conditions at the peak should be excellent. The moon will be a slender 5%-illuminated waxing crescent and will be practically absent from the night sky overnight on Nov. 11-12, leaving the night dark.

The distinction between the two Taurid showers isn't particularly important if you're simply outside hoping to see a fireball. In late October and early November, both streams are active at the same time, potentially producing around 10 Taurids per hour under clear, moon-free conditions.

Why are Taurids called the 'Halloween Fireballs'?

The nickname comes partly from timing. Their maxima are also broad rather than sharp. According to EarthSky, the Taurids tend to "ramble along" over the period, becoming particularly noticeable when the two branches overlap from late October into early November — Halloween.

It's also a reference to their tendency to produce fireballs, exceptionally bright meteors caused when larger pieces of space debris plunge into Earth's atmosphere.

Some years are considerably better for Taurid fireballs than others, and it's impossible to tell for sure in advance. EarthSky notes that enhanced displays occurred in 2008, 2015 and 2022, when Earth encountered concentrations of larger debris within the stream. However, don't expect a repeat in 2026 — the next predicted Taurid fireball swarm isn't expected until 2032.

That doesn't mean there won't be fireballs this year, only that an unusually high number isn't predicted.

What causes the Taurid meteor showers?

Both Taurid meteor showers are linked to Comet 2P/Encke, a three-mile-wide (4.8-kilometer) comet that circles the sun every 3.25 years — the shortest known cometary orbit, according to NASA. However, the Taurids belong to a much larger complex of dust, rocks, comets and asteroids, possibly created when a much bigger object fragmented thousands of years ago. Each fall, Earth crosses different parts of this sprawling debris stream, producing the overlapping Northern and Southern Taurids and, occasionally, the larger fragments that create spectacular fireballs.

How to see the Taurid meteor showers

Both showers appear to originate from Taurus, a constellation that rises during the evening and climbs higher into the sky as the night progresses. Around midnight, Taurus is well placed for many observers.

However, there's no need to find Taurus. Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, and staring directly at the radiant can actually mean seeing shorter meteor trails. The best advice is to treat the period as a great time for naked-eye stargazing, with the usual rules applying — find somewhere away from bright lights with as wide a view of the sky as possible, and give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Binoculars and telescopes will restrict your field of view and make meteor watching impossible.

Above all, be patient. The Taurids are a slow burn in every sense — low rates, slow-moving meteors and weeks of activity. But if one of those meteors happens to be a brilliant fireball, it could easily be one of the most memorable "shooting stars" you see all year.

Fire erupted in the morning skies over Siberia on June 30, 1908, as an atmospheric explosion occurred that remains unmatched by any similar event in modern history.

That day, at approximately 7:15 a.m. local time, observers in Siberia's remote Tunguska region became witnesses to the entry of a brilliant fireball into Earth's atmosphere, trailing smoke across the dawn sky and culminating in a flash brighter than the sun itself. Within seconds, the explosion and resulting shock waves that followed reportedly knocked some members of the nearby Indigenous Evenki population off their feet, and caused damage to dwellings and livestock, while seismic instruments hundreds of miles away logged tremors caused by the blast.

The blast produced enough energy to flatten a significant stretch of the Siberian wilderness, marking an event that still serves as a cautionary tale — and a major point of reference — for modern planetary defense efforts. Yet some questions remain about exactly what happened, and what the implications are for future potential Tunguska-scale events. For many years after the events of that day, the cause of the blast — known today as the Tunguska event — remained unknown. With time, a likely culprit emerged: scientists now believe a small asteroid, estimated to have been just 130 feet (40 meters) in diameter, exploded after entering Earth's atmosphere.

What do we know?

Unraveling the Tunguska Event mystery

Remarkably, scientists wouldn't get a firsthand look at the destruction caused by the Tunguska blast for almost two decades, due primarily to the extreme remoteness of the blast location. Further complicating scientific investigations were the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the ensuing civil war.

One of the earliest attempts to reach the blast site was initiated in 1921 by Soviet geologist Leonid Kulik, who failed in his first effort, but did eventually make his way to Tunguska six years later. Upon arriving, the devastation caused by the event was unmistakable even after nearly two decades.

Curiously, at the blast site's presumed epicenter, a small area of unaffected trees remained standing, albeit stripped of some of their bark and branches. The surrounding countryside, by comparison, was littered with large numbers of trees that were toppled as the shock waves produced by the exploding asteroid high above radiated downward.

In the decades that followed, additional assessment of the site that included expeditions and aerial surveys, primarily during the 1950s and 1960s, revealed another curious feature: a distinctive hourglass- or butterfly-shaped destruction zone spanning well over 800 square miles (2,070 square kilometers), with millions of trees estimated to have been flattened. Yet most curious of all had been what investigators did not find; despite a blast zone of this size, there was no evidence of an impact crater at Tunguska.

An airburst over Siberia

What the evidence seemed to suggest was that an explosion had occurred not on the surface following a massive impact, but instead high in Earth's atmosphere — probably as much as several miles above the Earth — as tremendous aerodynamic stresses caused the object to fragment and release its energy before reaching the ground.

A longstanding debate about the Tunguska object has centered on whether it was more likely an asteroid or a comet, although today, most evidence appears to favor an asteroid. Among the clues supporting an asteroid origin are mineral and chemical signatures identified in material collected from the region that researchers have argued are consistent with a stony or carbonaceous asteroid. However, identifying physical remnants definitively associated with the Tunguska object has remained challenging.

What remains unknown?

A warning from the sky?

While the Tunguska event remains an enigma in some ways, it also offers modern researchers an opportunity to study one of the rare recent examples in Earth's geological history of a large-scale cosmic airburst.

Deeper in Earth's past — around 66 million years ago — a six-mile-wide (10 km) asteroid struck what is now Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. The impact created the 120-mile-wide (190 km) Chicxulub crater in a cataclysmic event that drove mass extinctions across the planet, eliminating nearly three-quarters of the species that thrived on Earth until that time.

Of course, even objects orders of magnitude smaller than the object that created the Chicxulub crater can pose a danger to Earth. Although the object that struck Earth 66 million years ago is believed to have been as much as 200 times wider and millions of times more massive than the suspected asteroid that exploded over Siberia in 1908, estimates indicate that a Tunguska-scale event would be capable of killing millions if it occurred today over a city the size of New York.

Such estimates aren't based entirely on theory, either. In February 2013, planetary scientists were given a dramatic opportunity to gauge the effects of such an event when a previously undetected 60-foot-wide (20 meters) asteroid exploded after entering Earth's atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia.

The resulting blast, which released energy equivalent to an estimated 500 kilotons of TNT, was captured on cameras throughout the region as it damaged buildings and caused injuries to more than 1,000 people, mostly due to flying glass from windows that were shattered by the blast wave.

A wake-up call for planetary defense

Because of events like Chelyabinsk and Tunguska, planetary scientists have worked to expand initiatives that detect and monitor potentially hazardous near-Earth objects (NEOs) that could become a concern in the decades ahead.

Still, despite such efforts having been in effect at the time, the Chelyabinsk event represented an example of a potentially dangerous NEO that effectively managed to sneak up on us. Fortunately, despite the damage that was caused, things could have been far worse. But will we be so lucky next time?

To help mitigate such concerns, in 2016 NASA established the Planetary Defense Coordination Office to help align its efforts with those of its international partners and develop more advanced methods of identifying and tracking any NEOs that could pose an impact threat.

Then in 2022, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) demonstrated the use of a spacecraft as a kinetic impactor, which was intentionally sent on a collision course with Dimorphos, the small moon of the asteroid Didymos, which altered Dimorphos' orbital period around its companion by approximately 33 minutes. Such technology could one day prove to be vital if another potential Tunguska-type object were found to be on a collision course with Earth.

The mystery continues

Fact, fiction, and planning for the future

Given the questions that remain about Tunguska, as well as the misrepresentations and persistent myths surrounding it, several scientists have also worked in recent years to combat misinformation about the 1908 event.

In a paper published in March 2026 in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science, authors Mark Boslough and colleagues noted that future planning for evacuation plans and other mitigation efforts "depend critically on our ability to model these events, which depends on our understanding of the governing physics, which in turn is validated by sparse data on real events such as Tunguska."

"If people do not have confidence in the models on which evacuation plans are based, they could lose their lives," the study's authors warned.

More than a century after it occurred, June 30 is now recognized as International Asteroid Day, commemorating not only the blast's anniversary, but also the need for awareness of the dangerous potential future similar events could present.

Tunguska therefore remains a source of fascination for scientists, as well as an opportunity to better understand — and to prepare for — any potential future threats posed by similar objects, should one eventually be found on a collision course with Earth.

Heads up stargazers! The Draconid meteor shower peaks tonight (Oct. 8) and you don't even have to stay up late for a chance to see them.

Draconid meteors can be spotted from Oct. 6 to Oct. 10 as Earth barrels through the debris stream left by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which returns to the inner solar system once every 6.6 years to refresh the trail of meteoroids that trigger the annual shower.

Unlike most meteor showers, the Draconids are best viewed in the evening just a few hours after sunset, making them wonderfully accessible to newcomers and veteran meteor hunters alike!

Draconid shooting stars will appear to streak away from an apparent point of origin, or radiant, located in the constellation Draco, the "dragon", whose faint stars can be found shining high overhead in the northwestern sky after sunset in October.

What is the best time to spot Draconid meteors?

The Draconids are expected to reach maximum activity around 9 p.m. EDT on Oct. 8 (0100 GMT on Oct.9), making it the ideal time to spot shooting stars belonging to the shower for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere, according to NASA.

Find a patch of sky roughly 40 degrees away from the radiant — where the meteors will be at their most spectacular — and allow 30 minutes for your eyes to fully adapt to the dark. Under ideal conditions, the Draconids can produce around 5 meteors per hour during their peak,but are capable of producing spectacular displays on rare occasions.

One such outburst took place in 1933, when observers in Europe watched an astonishing 500 shooting stars streak across the sky each minute. In 2018, another brief outburst sent rates soaring above 100 meteors per hour, according to EarthSky.

These peaks arose because the debris from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is concentrated near the comet. As a result, the chances of heightened activity rise around the time the comet passes through the inner solar system — an event which last occurred in March 2025.

It's impossible to know exactly what the Draconids have in store for us in 2026, but the conditions will be near perfect come what may, with a 2%-lit waning crescent moon granting us a blissfully dark night in which even the faintest meteors could make for a spectacular sight.

Want to capture gorgeous photos of shooting stars for yourself? Then be sure to read our guide to imaging meteor showers, along with our selections of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography available in 2026.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your meteor photos with Space.com's readers, then please send your image(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

A magnificent fireball lit up the night sky above Arizona in the early hours of Oct. 6, blazing a fiery path as it streaked earthward through the atmosphere before appearing to disintegrate as it neared the horizon.

The fireball flared repeatedly during its descent through Earth's atmosphere, which was captured in a livestream from the town of Dragoon, Arizona operated by the trainspotting website SouthWest RailCams and shared by X user rbmichae80.

The meteoroid that triggered the fireball was likely the size of a small car when it struck Earth's atmosphere, according to American Meteor Society shooting star expert Robert Lunsford.

"It must have been irregularly shaped and tumbled as it fell through the air," Lunsford told Space.com in an email. "Every time a flat surface was faced forward another flare occurred. The terminal flare of this object was impressive!"

The fireball was most likely a sporadic event that was unrelated to any established meteor showers. "There are no known radiants in that part of the sky so it appears that this was a random occurrence," continued Lunsford.

Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy shared his view of the fireball's final moments in a post on X. "Absolutely insane sky-crossing meteor just now in Arizona," commented McCarthy. "Visibly green/turquoise with pieces breaking off, glowed brightly until about 10 degrees off the horizon".

McCarthy noted that the fireball appeared to be moving too fast to be a satellite re-entering Earth's atmosphere as it travelled eastward through the early morning sky. "My best guess is it 'landed' somewhere over Tonto national forest," continued McCarthy. "Anyone else see it?"

What is a fireball?

Fireballs appear when chunks of asteroids or comets ranging from a few centimeters to multiple meters in size — known as meteoroids — strike Earth's atmosphere while travelling at tens of thousands of miles per hour.

The shards of interplanetary debris are swiftly slowed and heated by atmospheric friction, which can make them shine brighter than the planet Venus as they carve a fiery path through the night sky, according to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies.

The color of a fireball is determined in part by its chemical composition, with the vivid green hue reported during the Oct. 6 event potentially indicating a relatively high magnesium content, per the National Park Service.

Fragments of larger meteors that survive to reach the surface are known as meteorites and can serve as a valuable window into the formation of the solar system. Think your rock might be from outer space? Then be sure to read our home guide to identifying and observing meteorite features!

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

They're often talked up as "lighting up the night sky," but while they hold a powerful place in our imaginations, meteor showers are among the most demanding night-sky sights. The advice is nearly always the same — wait until after midnight, preferably until the hours before dawn, then give your eyes half an hour to adjust to the darkness. By the time the sky is supposedly at its best, I'm usually pondering how badly this decision is going to affect tomorrow. After all, there is nothing particularly character-building about standing outside half-awake trying to stare and stare and stare at the night sky.

So I have a certain affection for the Draconids. They peak this week, and they break one of the usual meteor-shower rules. Instead of improving toward dawn, the Draconids are best attempted in the evening. On Thursday, Oct. 8, I can go outside after dark, look up for a while and still get to bed at a respectable hour.

There is an important trade-off — this isn't normally a prolific shower. We may see several impressive meteors, but we may see very little. They have occasionally produced extraordinary outbursts, but in an ordinary year you might see only a handful of meteors. That unpredictability is actually part of the appeal for me. I'm not expecting celestial fireworks. I'm expecting half an hour outside and, with luck, a few pieces of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, debris burning up above my head. It will certainly achieve something I'm all for — it will get me outside, looking up, as soon as it gets dark.

What's happening and when to look

The Draconid meteor shower is short, active from around Oct. 6 to 10, with its 2026 maximum predicted for about 01:00 GMT on Oct. 9. That timing works particularly well for North American observers, where the predicted maximum falls on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 8 — around 9 p.m. EDT, 8 p.m. CDT, 7 p.m. MDT and 6 p.m. PDT.

There's little reason to wait until the small hours because the Draconids' radiant is the northern circumpolar constellation Draco, the Dragon, which is already well placed in the northern skies during October evenings. The radiant point is close to the bright star Vega, famed as the anchor star of the Summer Triangle asterism.

How and when I'm watching it

I'll start looking broadly northward once the sky is properly dark, although there's no need to stare directly at Draco. Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, and those seen farther from the radiant can leave longer trails. Conditions are good this year, with the evening sky free of moonlight.

Just keep your expectations in check. The Society for Popular Astronomy lists a tentative zenithal hourly rate of around 10 at maximum in 2026. Actual numbers seen from a backyard will be lower, so we're not talking "light up the sky" stuff.

That's why I'm not planning an expedition to find perfect countryside darkness. Darker skies will reveal fainter meteors, for sure, but I'd rather spend 40 minutes actually watching from somewhere convenient than abandon the whole idea because my backyard has a streetlight. The Draconids aren't a meteor shower you need to make a complicated plan for.

One thing worth watching for is their speed: Draconids enter our atmosphere at only about 12 miles (20 kilometers) per second, making them noticeably slow by meteor standards — you'll know if you see a Draconid because they're unlike most "shooting stars."

Stargazer's corner: October 2-8, 2026

The moon reaches last quarter on Oct. 3 and then shrinks toward new moon on Oct. 10. That makes this an increasingly useful week for evening observing.

My other main target this week is Saturn. The ringed planet reaches opposition on Oct. 4, when Earth passes roughly between Saturn and the sun. That means Saturn rises around sunset, stays up through the night and sets at sunrise after shining at its brightest for the year. This opposition is particularly interesting because Saturn's rings are starting to open out again. After appearing almost edge-on in 2025, their southern face is now tilted toward us by about 7.5 degrees. Cue a rush to view it through any small telescope, which will show you something recognizably ring-like this year rather than the extremely narrow, line-like ring pattern we saw last year. Find a pal with a telescope, or visit your local astronomy club — the sight of Saturn through a telescope is worth any effort. If you've only the naked eye, Saturn will look like a steady yellowish point of light.

There's also a lovely predawn gathering on Oct. 5. The 32%-lit waning crescent moon passes close to Mars, both very close to the Beehive Cluster (M44) in Cancer, with Jupiter lower down.

Constellation of the week: Pegasus

Pegasus is a very useful shape to find in the October evening sky. Look east and southeast after dark for the Great Square of Pegasus — four moderately bright stars (Scheat, Alpheratz, Markab and Algenib) outlining an enormous square. The beginner's trap is expecting the Great Square to be compact and immediately obvious. It's much larger than constellation diagrams suggest. I find it easier to search for a large, relatively empty-looking area bounded by four stars rather than trying to identify a neat little box.

Once I have it, I can use the Great Square as an autumn signpost, though this year there's an extra reason to find it — it's right above Saturn, with the ringed planet almost aligned with Scheat and Algenib.

Up for a challenge? The Daytime Sextantids meteor shower peaks soon, but you'll only have a brief window to catch one of its elusive shooting stars. Here's what you need to know.

The Daytime Sextantids are active from Sept. 22 to Oct. 13 as Earth passes through a trail of interplanetary debris whose parent body has yet to be conclusively identified. However, a lack of data makes the exact timings for the Daytime Sextantids peak relatively difficult to pin down.

Predictions place maximum activity between late September and early October, with In The Sky listing Sept. 27 as the peak while Robert Lunsford, fireball reporter for the American Meteor Society, estimates peak activity between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4.

Meteors belonging to the shower appear to streak away from a point of origin, or radiant, in the constellation Sextans, located roughly 30 degrees from the sun. As a result, most Daytime Sextantids meteors are hidden by daylight, making the shower much easier to detect using radio techniques than with the naked eye.

However, up to 5 meteors could be spotted brightening the night sky in the hour preceding dawn in the window of peak activity around Sept. 27, when the radiant will reach its highest point before sunrise hides the shower from view.

"Potential observers should face eastwards about half-way up in the sky," Lunsford told Space.com in an email. "They should look for medium velocity meteors shooting upward from the eastern horizon and also sideways toward the north and south. All of these meteors would be earthgrazers with long trails lasting several seconds."

Lunsford also cautioned that the moon will be in its waning gibbous phase during the Daytime Sextanids observation window, casting a veil of moonlight over the early morning sky that could lower the number of visible meteors.

"This means it will be high in the southern sky during the last hour of night during this period," continued Lunsford. "You should move your gaze northward to keep the moon out of your field of view. It may obscure the faintest meteors, but will not be a major nuisance."

Want to capture gorgeous photos of the next big meteor shower? Then be sure to read our guide to photographing shooting stars, along with our picks of the best lenses and cameras for capturing the night sky.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your images of shooting stars with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Studying 75 meteorites falling to Earth, scientists have identified the seven stages a space rock goes through as it crashes through our atmosphere, each of which is determined by different physical processes.

The research found that there are more factors than mere evaporation that determine how fragments of asteroids and comets lose mass and speed passing through the atmosphere before slamming into the ground as meteorites. As well as just "burning up" in the atmosphere, space rocks also go through periods of melting and fragmentation that occur at different altitudes.

Aside from shining light on the life cycles of meteorites, the team's research could help us better understand what would happen if a large, potentially hazardous asteroid were to enter Earth's atmosphere.

"We used to think that solid rocks would evaporate from the enormous heat and brilliant light generated in the air collision," team leader Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center said in a statement. "We found instead that first melting and then fragmentation control how a rock loses mass."

Seven stages to Earthfall

The first stage, phase 1, identified by the team, begins high in Earth's atmosphere. The falling space rock creates a shock wave in front of it that heats it and the gas surrounding it. This turns the falling space rock into a "shooting star" streaking across the sky.

Phase 2 begins when the fragment reaches denser air, and the meteor begins to brighten. At this stage, astronomers can determine how the rock is spinning based upon changes in brightness.

This brightening continues until phase 3, at which point the space rock becomes a fireball. The team found that it is at this stage that the falling rock loses the most mass via melting. This happens as air flows rapidly around the rock and pulls away melted matter, leaving a trail of droplets that continue to evaporate.

At around 40 miles (60 kilometers) over the surface of Earth phase 4 begins, which sees the fireball reaching a melting equilibrium. By this point, the initial space rock may have lost up to 40% of its original mass.

Phase 5 marks the point at which the rock starts to fragment, with individual pieces often flaring as they break away from the main body. The team found that this breaking apart often occurs earlier than expected, putting that down to cracks that may have already existed in the rock due to collisions in space.

What remains of the rock by this stage shrinks rapidly, also slowing significantly, with this slowdown occurring faster if the rock has fragmented more successfully.

"Our modeling shows that as long as the back of the space rock remains intact, that rock pulls a vacuum in its wake into which fragments tend to flow," team member Darrel Robertson of NASA Ames Research Center said. "Those small meteorites fall in a narrow strip on the ground."

The fireball flares for the final time during phase 6, as pieces of the space rock break away more rapidly.

"That final disruption sends fragments flying at higher relative speeds," said Jenniskens. "In past falls, we noticed that meteorites larger than about 20 grams tended to be scattered wider, and many came from close to the surface of the original space rock, which must have been its backside."

At the start of phase 7, melting and fragmentation are still occurring, but what is left of the space rock has slowed down enough to stop glowing. Melting then ceases, leaving a thin crust on the surface of the fragment.

The team determined that meteorites that reach terra firma ironically went through more melting and fragmentation, which slowed them down enought to actually land. The fragments are often small and slow enough at this stage to allow Earth's winds to carry them off course and determine where they land as meteorites.

Of the 75 meteorites investigated in this research, the team identified several different types of space rock composed of different materials. They were able to determine the altitudes at which these different types of space rock went through each of the seven identified phases.

Identifying the processes that occur to solid objects passing through the atmosphere could help scientists better understand what would happen to larger, more dangerous objects about to hit Earth. This includes objects that cause damage when they erupt as "airbursts" or potential "planet-killer" asteroids the size of city blocks.

"Asteroids up to tens of meters in size are also solid rocks because they tend to spin faster than do the larger rubble pile asteroids," said Jenniskens. "The 20-meter [66 feet] diameter asteroid that caused the airburst over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013 went through the same phases."

The team's findings appear in a paper published on the Wiley Online Library.

The Perseid meteor shower dazzled stagazers with a spectacular natural light show around its peak on Aug. 12-13. But could we be in for even more impressive displays of shooting stars in the years to come?

Perseid shooting stars can be seen each year as Earth crashes through the trail of debris shed by the icy comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Many of these cometary shards are no larger than a single grain of sand. Yet they're capable of burning bright enough to be seen with the naked eye as they collide with our planet's atmosphere at 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second, often destroying themselves in the process.

The 2026 Perseid shower peaked overnight on Aug. 12-13, as Earth plunged into the densest region of Comet Swift-Tuttle's debris stream. But as spectacular as this year's display was, Jupiter's powerful gravity could make 2028 an even more impressive year for the Perseid meteor shower, as the gas giant passes close to Swift-Tuttle's debris stream, drawing more of the meteoroids into a collision course with Earth's atmosphere.

Are the Perseids going to get stronger in 2028?

According to scientists, there is a distinct possibility that our solar system's largest planet could influence the Perseid meteor shower in the upcoming years. "Jupiter passes close to a portion of the stream of particles generated by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle once every twelve years," meteor expert Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society (AMS) told Space.com. "The timing and position of this intersection determines if the particles will pass closer or further from Earth. The 2028 passage indicates that some particles will shift into an orbit closer to Earth so that hourly rates could be higher than usual."

Lunsford notes that while computer models are helpful for predicting when a surge in meteor activity may occur, they lack key data on the density of particles within the stream, which are usually separated by hundreds, or even thousands of miles from one another. As such, predictions on hourly rates for upcoming meteors are best treated as educated guesses, Lunsford said.

"The results of the 2027 display should provide a clue," continued Lunsford. "If rates during 2027 are enhanced to at least 100 per hour, then we can expect 200-300 per hour for 2028."

Will moonlight be a problem?

Even if 2027 does see an uptick in Perseid activity, we may not necessarily be able to appreciate it.

That year, the Perseids will peak in the glare of a waxing moon just four days from turning full, and the moonlight will hide many of the shower's fainter shooting stars. Though there will be a few hours before dawn when the moon sets below the western horizon, granting peak meteor hunting conditions.

In 2028 — the year of the potential Jupiter-caused Perseid outburst — the shower will peak around Aug. 12-13 in the light of a third quarter moon, which will rise after midnight and be present until sunrise.

"This is much better than having a full moon, but the faintest meteors may still be obscured if your sky is not transparent," said Lunsford. "You could also view prior to moonrise for the 2028 event, but the radiant will be low. The timing of greatest intensity seems to be between 23-00 Universal Time on Aug.13/14, 2027 and 5-6 UT on Aug. 12, 2028."

Want to be ready to capture the next big meteor shower? Then be sure to read our guide to photographing shooting stars, along with our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography in 2026.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

On Aug. 14, 1992, a space rock entered the atmosphere over Mbale, Uganda and exploded into hundreds of pieces!

Debris from this meteorite shower was strewn over an area of about 2 by 4 miles (3.2 to 6.4 kilometers), and the biggest piece weighed more than 60 pounds (27 kilograms)! Scientists estimated that the original space rocket weighed more than 2,000 pounds (900 kg). A young boy was hit in the head with a small meteorite fragment, but thankfully no one was seriously injured or killed by any of the falling space rocks.

In October 2012, a fragment of the Mbale meteorite was put up for sale by Heritage Auctions in New York City.

Why it mattered

The Mbale meteorite provided scientists with a glimpse of how space rocks of this size can impact communities where they happen to land, and allowed researchers a look at large fragments found by recovery expeditions for radionuclide studies within just 12 days of falling to Earth.

NASA classified Mbale as a type L5/6 ordinary chondrite, and calculated that its breakup in Earth's atmosphere occurred between about 15.5 miles (25 km) and 6 miles (10 km) in altitude. By October 1993, 863 fragments of the meteorite had been recovered, with an overall estimate of 330 pounds (150 kg) of material surviving the atmospheric plunge to reach Earth's surface.

The Perseid meteor shower peaked last night in spectacular fashion, dazzling stargazers as countless shooting stars blazed overhead mere hours after a total solar eclipse saw the lunar disk hide the sun over Greenland, Iceland and Spain.

Perseid shooting stars appear as Earth enters the debris trail cast off by the icy comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Each year, countless shards of this ancient comet collide with our wandering planet. What follows is truly spectacular.

Most are no larger than a particle of dust, or grain of sand. Yet the incredible velocity at which they strike our atmosphere — 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second on average — sees many carve a fiery path as they disintegrate in Earth's sky, which is easily visible to the naked eye.

Countless photographers were primed and ready to capture this magnificent display as Earth passed through the densest region of Swift-Tuttle debris trail, heralding the appearance of hundreds of shooting stars.

Read on to see a selection of our favorite photos of the 2026 Perseid meteor shower, taken in the beautifully dark nights surrounding the August new moon phase.

Best photos of the 2026 Perseid meteor shower

One of our readers sent in this gorgeous shot. Dimitar Birachoski, from Ohrid, Macedonia caught several Perseid meteors streaking over Galicica National Park on Aug. 12, 2026, using a Nikon Z6iii camera.

"I've got the Pleiades, Andromeda galaxy and Milky Way with the Perseids," Birachoski told Space.com via email.

Photographer Morteza Nikoubazl also caught a Perseid meteor streaking beside the famous Pleaides star cluster as seen from Semnan, Iran.

Meanwhile, a Perseid meteor was spotted as the setting sun illuminated the skies over the Negev Desert in southern Israel, on Aug. 11, 2026.

The Milky Way Galaxy also showed its face during the Perseid meteor shower over the Negev Desert on Aug. 11, 2026.

This long streak left by a Perseid meteor was photographed above Pedernales Falls State Park in Johnson City, Texas on Aug. 12, 2026.

A meteor (left) lit up the night sky during the Perseid meteor shower just hours after a total solar eclipse was seen from San Asensio, Spain on Aug. 12, 2026. 

Farther east, Ismail Aslandag caught a green meteor above Ucayak Church in Kirsehir, Turkiye on Aug. 12, 2026.

This long exposure captures Earth's rotation in the form of circular star trails. A Perseid "shooting star" lit up the swirling scene above Shaoguan in China's Guangdong Province on Aug. 12, 2026.

Farther north, photographer Fan Chengzhu saw a Perseid meteor streaking into the distance over Shitan Village in China's Anhui Province on Aug. 13, 2026.

Earth won't break free of Swift-Tuttle's debris trail until Aug. 24, so there are still plenty of Perseids to be seen brightening the summer sky if you're a little late to the show. Just be prepared for a significantly lower hourly rate compared to the peak.

Want to try your hand at capturing one? Then be sure to read our guide to photographing shooting stars, along with our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: Did you snag a photo of a Perseid and want to share it with Space.com's readers? Then please send your photo(s), comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The Perseid meteor shower, one of the most prolific and impressive meteor showers of the year, peaks tonight!

Widely regarded as one of the best meteor showers of the year, the Perseids can produce up to 100 meteors per hour under ideal viewing conditions and weather permitting.

This year's display is particularly favorable because the shower peaks on the night of the new moon, leaving skies free from bright moonlight that can wash out fainter meteors.

What time should I look?

The Perseids can produce meteors throughout the night, but the best viewing begins around 11 p.m. local time, with activity increasing after midnight and continuing until the predawn hours. Under dark, clear skies, patient observers could see dozens of meteors every hour with the highest rates expected just before dawn.

Where do they come from?

The annual show occurs as Earth passes through a trail of comet dust and rocky debris left behind by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Every year, our planet plows through this stream of cometary material, causing tiny fragments — many no larger than a grain of sand — to slam into Earth's atmosphere at around 133,000 mph (214,000 km/h).

As these particles compress and heat the air in front of them, they burn up high above Earth's surface, creating the brilliant streaks of light we know as meteors or shooting stars.

How can I see the Perseids?

The Perseids appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus, but you don't need to look directly at the constellation to enjoy the show. In fact, the longest and brightest meteors appear about 45 degrees away from the radiant, when you're not viewing them head-on.

To give yourself the best chance of seeing as many meteors as possible, head somewhere with dark skies, away from city lights and give your eyes around 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Avoid checking bright phone screens (easier said than done!) and leave the telescope or binoculars at home — meteors are best enjoyed with the naked eye.

The highest number of meteors occurs in the predawn hours because it's when the side of Earth you're situated on has rotated into the stream of comet debris. You can think of it a bit like driving through rain — the windshield catches more raindrops than the rear window because it's facing the direction of travel. Likewise, before dawn, your location on Earth is facing into the stream of comet debris, meaning more meteoroids collide with Earth's atmosphere overhead.

A rare double sky show

Why have one remarkable sky event when you can have two? This year's Perseid peak arrives on the heels of today's total solar eclipse that crosses parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain, making it possible to witness two of the year's most spectacular celestial events within just a few hours of each other.

If you're unable to catch the Perseids tonight, don't worry! While meteor numbers will gradually decline after the peak, the Perseids remain active through Aug. 24, meaning there are still opportunities to catch plenty of shooting stars under clear, dark skies.

If you're looking to snap photos of the meteor shower or the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph meteor showers, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.

A spectacular total solar eclipse will coincide with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 12-13. But will you be able to spot shooting stars in the false twilight of totality?

Perseids appear as Earth plows through the stream of debris shed by comet Swift-Tuttle. Up to 100 shooting stars may be seen each hour around its peak under ideal dark skies, as particles from the ancient comet collide with our atmosphere at speeds of 133,200 mph (214,365 km/h) to etch a fiery path through the summer night sky.

It's an unmissable highlight of the skywatching calendar, supercharged in 2026 by the spectacle of a total solar eclipse, which will plunge millions across Greenland, Iceland and Spain into the darkness of an eerie twilight, as the moon crosses the face of the sun.

Is it possible to see shooting stars during totality?

Yes. The most brilliant Perseid shooting stars can shine bright enough to be spotted in the brief twilight of totality. But it's all a question of timing.

"It would have to be a fireball that passed through the darkest portion of the sky," Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society told Space.com in an email. "The Perseids usually produce about one fireball per three hours at night. That's asking a lot for one of these bright meteors to appear during a 2-3 minute window. If anyone does see one, they had better go play the lottery asap!"

NASA Meteoroid Environments Office head Bill Cooke added his own word of caution, noting that the relatively bright sky during totality will likely hide all but the most brilliant Perseids from sight.

"Only Perseid fireballs will be visible," Cooke told Space.com in an email. "Given the brightness and duration of the eclipse, you might see one if you're extremely, extremely lucky. [The] most likely scenario is that you will see no meteors whatsoever."

The odds are definitely stacked against you. But you never know. A piece of comet Swift-Tuttle could've broken away at just the right time, at just the right point in its orbit to meet a fiery end in Earth's atmosphere, just as the sun slips from view. As for our advice? Keep your eyes locked firmly on the eclipse as it unfolds in the skies above you. There'll be plenty of time for hunting Perseids later.

Want to capture gorgeous photos of the Aug. 12 cosmic doubleheader? Then be sure to read our expert guides to imaging a total solar eclipse, along with tips on photographing fast-moving meteors. You can also stay up to date with all the latest news and reports for the field with our total solar eclipse live blog!

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Picture it: A slash of vivid green light splits the starry sky. There for a moment and then gone, leaving nothing but a short-lived glowing trail and a moment of pure joy. You've finally caught it, your first Perseid shooting star of the season.

What you saw was the final moment of a story billions of miles and thousands of years in the making. A story that began with that same shooting star locked inside the icy body of the wandering comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

The 16-mile-wide (26 kilometer) giant of a comet spends its life journeying back and forth between the outer and inner solar system, where its frigid body is heated by the sun, triggering dramatic outbursts of activity. While in close proximity to our star, ice near to the surface of the comet is transformed into gas, skipping the water stage entirely as it escapes out into the vastness of interplanetary space.

Embedded within that ice was once a micrometeoroid no larger than a grain of sand, destined to become the Perseid shooting star you saw.

The violence of the newborn micrometeoroid's exile was followed by an epoch of utter silence, as its orbit was subtly influenced by the unseen forces of the solar system. It would be easy to think of this as a lonely existence, but we'd be wrong.

Our cosmic pebble was joined by millions of others, all shed in the wake of Swift-Tuttle. A great stream of primordial material that threads through the inner solar system, crossing the path of Earth before extending in a great swarm that messily traces the elliptical orbit of their comet progenitor, below the plane of the solar system. Beyond the orbit of Pluto.

Each follows its own unique path. Trajectories are shaped by the force of a micrometeoroid's expulsion from the comet's nucleus, along with the gentle push of radiation from the sun and the gravitational tug of the planets.

It's impossible to know how long our shooting star drifted through the cold expanse of interplanetary space. Was it hundreds or many thousands of years? How many times might it have journeyed around the sun before its fateful rendezvous with our Blue Marble?

We can never know. What we do know is how its journey ended.

Civilizations could have risen to their zenith and crumbled in the time our micrometeoroid spent traversing the unfeeling expanse of interplanetary space, but its demise lasted but a fraction of a second. It collided with our planet's gaseous shell at 132,000 miles per hour (212,433 kmph), cutting a brilliant green trail through the summer sky as atmospheric friction vaporized the cometary shard.

It's that fiery demise that you spotted tonight — an experience that will repeat hundreds of times each and every hour at the height of the Perseid meteor shower, as Earth passes through the densest part of the debris stream cast off by comet Swift-Tuttle.

The Perseid meteor shower is active from now until Aug. 24, with the best viewing window occurring in the early hours of Aug. 13, as the shower's radiant rises to its highest point on the night of the shower's peak.

This year's peak will be particularly spectacular, unfolding as it does in the pristinely dark skies surrounding the Aug. 12 new moon, which will also cause a spectacular total solar eclipse to be visible across parts of Spain, Iceland and Greenland. If you find yourself in the path of totality and have luck on your side, then you might just spot a Perseid fireball brightening the false twilight that falls as the moon hides the face of the sun at the crescendo of the eclipse!

Want to capture a shooting star that will stay with you forever? Then be sure to read our guide to photographing fast-moving meteors, along with our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography if you're looking to upgrade your gear.

Editor's Note: Did you catch a photo of a Perseid shooting star and want to share it with Space.com's readers? Then please go ahead and send your photos along with your comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The Perseids may be the summer meteor shower everyone marks on the calendar, but they are not the only reason to look up this season.

From mid-July through late August, Earth plows through several other streams of comet and asteroid debris, triggering a series of lesser-known meteor showers across Northern Hemisphere skies.

Most will not deliver the dazzling hourly rates of the Perseids, and moonlight will spoil some peak nights in 2026. But for patient skywatchers under dark skies, these lesser-known showers can still serve up bright fireballs, faint streaks and a preview of the main event to come.

The duration in days of a shower we provide here is somewhat arbitrary, since the beginning and ending are gradual and indefinite. While the hourly rates from these other meteor streams provide but a fraction of the numbers produced by the Perseids, combined, overall, they provide a wide variety of meteors of differing colors, speeds and trajectories.

Capricornids

First to appear are the Capricornids, starting around July 10, with their maximum on July 25 and end on Aug. 15. Under the best conditions only a few bright meteors per hour come from this stream, so you'll hardly know it is in progress unless you plot meteor trails on a star map and trace them back to their common intersection point; most of the meteors you'll see will be sporadics or members of another shower.

The radiant reaches its highest point at about 30 degrees high in the south, about 2:00 a.m. local daylight time. The waxing gibbous moon will have set at around 1:40 a.m. on the night of the peak, leaving the rest of the night dark for prospective meteor watchers.

Delta Aquarids

Next come the Delta Aquarids, July's most prolific shower, with maximum on July 29, and as many as two or three dozen meteors per hour under ideal conditions. The shower lasts from July 12 to Aug. 23. It has a double radiant, indicating that we are seeing two distinct streams of celestial debris burning up in the Earth's atmosphere.

The meteors are mostly faint; a few bright, 5-10% leave persistent trains; they move at medium-slow speeds because they are coming in sideways across Earth's orbit. On peak night this year, the double radiant will be highest — roughly 40 degrees above the southern horizon — at 3:30 a.m. Unfortunately, in 2026, peak activity will coincide with full moon, so most of these streaks will likely be squelched by bright moonlight.

Piscis Australids

Another weak shower is the Piscis Australids, on July 30, with normal limits July 10 to Aug. 10. This is a lesser stream; only about eight members per hour are seen under best conditions to observers in the Southern Hemisphere, where the radiant — near the bright star Fomalhaut — climbs high in the sky.

As is the case with the Delta Aquarids, the moon, only one day past full, unfortunately, wrecks any chances of getting any decent views this year.

Alpha Capricornids

The final shower peaking in July is the Alpha Capricornids, which begin about July 7, peak on July 31, and end on Aug. 15. The radiant reaches its highest point, about 30 degrees high in the south at about 1:00 a.m. local daylight time. Though sparse (5 per hour) in number, the Alpha Capricornids are photogenic, frequently producing bright yellow fireballs that can be quite spectacular. Sadly, the bright moon, 93% illuminated, is in eastern Capricornus and will seriously impact the peak of this year's display.

Iota Aquarids

The last minor shower before the Perseids is the Iota Aquarids, a two-radiant shower having detectable members from July 15 to Aug. 25. At peak activity on Aug. 6, only about six members per hour are seen under good conditions; the radiants are at their highest point, about 40 degrees in the south at 2:30 a.m. A last quarter moon will be about one-third up in the eastern sky at that hour, which will interfere to an extent with viewing these meteors.

Perseids

The Perseids are predicted to reach their peak in 2026 on the morning of Aug. 13. Meteors whose paths extended backward intersect at a spot near the Perseid-Cassiopeia border not far from the famous Double Cluster in Perseus.

It rises at dusk and is highest in the sky — nearly overhead — at 5:40 a.m. When maximum occurs in a dark sky, as will be the case this year, this rich stream offers a crescendo in hourly rates averaging more than 50 members per hour, though double this rate has been seen on occasion. Many flaring meteors with trains are seen. This shower normally extends from July 17 through Aug. 24.

Kappa Cygnids

The last summer shower is the Kappa Cygnids. The limits of this shower run from Aug. 3 to Aug. 25, with the peak on Aug. 17. Though the maximum rate is only about four per hour, the stream does provide slow-moving flaring fireballs, and a careful observer may be nicely rewarded for the time spent.

The radiant is just north of the star Kappa Cygni and is nearly overhead — some 80 degrees high — at around 10:00 p.m. local time. At about that same time, a waxing crescent moon is low in the southwest and is about to set and will offer little viewing interference.

Where to look

The radiant is the place in the sky where the paths of shower members, if extended backward, would intersect when plotted on a star chart. Many people are misled into thinking that this is the best place to look for these meteors, but only stationary meteors — ones coming nearly straight at you — can be seen here.

The greatest numbers will be seen perhaps 30 degrees away from the radiant, in the general direction of the zenith. Remember that your clenched fist held at arm's length is roughly equal to 10 degrees.

In addition to shower meteors, there are always sporadic ones, apparently unrelated to one another, that occur at an average rate of about 7 per hour. The duration in days of a particular shower is somewhat arbitrary, since the beginning and ending are gradual and indefinite.

Skywatching tips

The only equipment you'll need is your eyes and a modest amount of patience.

The number of meteors an observer can see in an hour depends strongly on sky conditions. The rates quoted here are based on a limiting star magnitude of +6.5 (an exceptionally good, dark sky), an experienced observer, and the assumption that the radiant is directly overhead.

The lower the radiant in the sky, the fewer the numbers that will be seen. At an altitude of about 30 degrees, the hourly rate is halved, at 15 degrees it is one-third. No two observers prepare for a meteor vigil the same way.

Expect the overnight low temperature to be well below what the weather forecast suggests. When you sit quite still, close to the rapidly cooling ground, and if the air is even just slightly damp, you can become very chilled. It helps to take a late afternoon nap, followed by a shower, and to wear fresh clothing. Heavy blankets, sleeping bags, a ground cloth, an auto cushion, and a pillow are all necessary equipment. Some food and non-alcoholic beverages will help keep you comfortable.

Don't forget the moon

Another factor is the phase of the moon, which this year will be full on July 29 and new on Aug. 12. This makes it a very favorable year for viewing the Perseids, but not so favorable for those displays peaking at the end of July into early August. However, most are also active for a good number of days before and after maximum activity, so you can also watch for them when moonlight is not a hindrance.

Are these meteor showers worth watching?

In short, minor summer meteor showers are worth watching if you enjoy patient, low-key skywatching, but they are not ideal if you expect a dramatic display.

They offer a long observing season, require no equipment, and can produce a variety of meteors with different colors, speeds, paths, and occasionally bright fireballs. They also give observers more chances to watch when skies are clear and moonlight is less intrusive.

However, most are weak when compared to the Perseids, with low hourly rates and many faint meteors. Moonlight, low radiant positions, overlapping showers, and sporadic meteors can make them harder to see and identify, so observers need dark skies and patience.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, Sky and Telescope, The Old Farmer's Almanac and other publications.

People keep asking me about the total solar eclipse on August 12. That's understandable. For anyone in the Northern Hemisphere, it is shaping up to be a joyous day of astronomy. Totality will cross eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, but much of Europe will see a very deep partial eclipse, and even parts of North America will see a small bite taken from the sun. Then, just hours later, the Perseid meteor shower will peak beneath perfectly moonless skies. What a double-act!

The problem with promoting days and nights like that is that they make us think skywatching is only worth doing at very specific times. Everything becomes about moments, peaks and countdowns. That rings true for an eclipse, of course, but for the Perseids, it's less so.

The Perseid meteor shower actually begins right now. It's active from July 17 through August 24. Yes, it reaches a strong maximum overnight on August 12-13, where observers under ideal dark skies could see 50 or more "shooting stars" per hour. That's absolutely the night to aim for if you only go stargazing once a month. But for stargazers with a little more time, the hunt can begin right now.

The best Perseid is the first one you see. In these weeks before the peak, there's less expectation, less focus on the weather. An unexpected streak while you are outside feels accidental.

For me, it often happens when I've stopped observing properly for the night. Last summer, I was moving my telescope indoors late at night after a fairly unremarkable session looking at a few globular clusters. As I went back inside, I did my usual pause and look at the stars one last time. As I did, my peripheral vision caught a bright meteor whizzing across rooftops in the northeast. Summer's meteor season had begun with a bang when I least expected it to.

The Perseids officially build gradually over several weeks as Earth slowly enters the broad debris stream left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. It was last in the inner solar system in 1992 and will return in 2126. The peak around August 12—13 marks the densest part of the stream, but in mid-July, only a handful of meteors will appear each hour. That's exactly why early Perseids feel so special — you stumble across a meteor when you least expect it. Its gradual beginning also explains why some of the earliest Perseids can be surprisingly dramatic. The shower is famous for bright fireballs — large, vivid meteors that sometimes leave glowing trails lingering for several seconds. Even when overall meteor rates remain low in July, a single bright Perseid can add some magic to a night's observing.

What's happening and when to look

If you want to begin watching for Perseids this week, the best time is after midnight through the small hours before dawn, when the radiant constellation, Perseus, climbs higher in the northeastern sky. "Shooting stars" can appear anywhere in the night sky, but if their paths backward point roughly toward Perseus, it's a Perseid. That's what gives the shower its name.

There's more to look at than Perseids because July is quietly crowded with other meteor showers. The Southern Delta Aquariids begin strengthening through the second half of the month. From southern latitudes, they can produce roughly 25 meteors per hour under dark skies, though observers farther north tend to see fewer because the radiant stays low in the southern sky. These meteors are usually softer and subtler than Perseids — medium-speed streaks without many dramatic fireballs or glowing trails.

Running alongside them are the Alpha Capricornids, active from early July into mid-August. Technically, this is a weak shower, often producing only a handful of meteors per hour, but it compensates with unusually bright, slow-moving fireballs.

Unfortunately, both showers peak this year beneath an almost full Buck Moon on July 30-31, which will wash out many fainter meteors. But bright meteors and fireballs should still occasionally punch through the moonlight.

How and when I'm watching it

I will probably begin meteor season the same way I always do: accidentally. I'll increase the odds by lingering outdoors slightly longer than necessary on warm nights, staying up later than I should and using my smart telescope to collect data on deep-sky objects while I search the skies for the first Perseid. It's best done now, before the moon waxes to full, and certainly before early August, when it wanes — the worst moon phase for observing meteors because it's in the sky just as meteor activity peaks.

Stargazer's corner: July 17-24, 2026

With a new moon on July 14, this weekend is perfect for watching the return of a waxing crescent moon to the night sky. Look low in the west during dusk on Friday, July 17, to see a 16%-illuminated waxing crescent moon to the left of Venus. Watch it climb higher into the evening sky night after night, leaving genuinely dark late-night skies once it sets. It's good timing for the first serious Perseid-watching session of the season, particularly after midnight when meteor activity naturally increases as Earth rotates into the direction of travel around the sun.

Meanwhile, the Summer Triangle — formed by Vega, Deneb and Altair — hangs almost overhead during the darkest hours, making this one of the easiest seasonal star patterns for beginners to learn. Saturn now rises comfortably before midnight and dominates the southeastern sky by dawn, when it's joined by Mars and the stunning Pleiades open cluster.

Constellation of the week: Perseus

Perseus, "The Hero," never quite looks how beginners expect. Rising into the northeastern night sky around midnight this week between bright star Capella and Saturn in the east, its name suggests something dramatic, but the constellation itself appears more like a loose chain of stars stretching below Cassiopeia in the northeastern sky. At this time of year, Perseus rises late, which is why the best Perseid activity happens after midnight once the radiant climbs higher. Beginners often assume meteors appear only near the radiant itself, but the longest and most impressive Perseids usually streak much farther away across the sky. Perseus matters less as a viewing target than as a reminder that meteor showers are fundamentally about perspective. The meteors are not actually emerging from the constellation at all — Earth is simply driving through comet debris head-on.

Look up! The Perseid meteor shower is finally active, bringing the potential for gorgeous shooting stars and fireballs as Earth plunges into the trail of debris shed by the icy comet Swift-Tuttle. Here's what you need to know.

The Perseid meteor shower 2026 is set to be a truly magnificent affair and a stark contrast to last year, when moonlight drowned out all but the brightest shooting stars. The shower will reach peak activity overnight on Aug. 12-13 under the dark skies of the new moon. During the peak, up to 100 shooting stars may be seen each hour as they cut fiery paths through the summer sky, according to the American Meteor Society.

You could even spot a Perseid brightening the false twilight triggered at the climax of the Aug. 12. eclipse, as the moon perfectly hides the surface of our parent star. But for that to happen you'd have to find yourself in the path of totality just as a large fireball-producing meteoroid struck Earth's atmosphere. It's certainly possible, but let's just say that the odds aren't stacked in your favor.

If you're not in the path of totality then there's no need to despair, you stand a much better chance of spotting Perseids the old fashioned way anyway!

How to spot Perseid shooting stars

Perseid meteors can be spotted anytime after dark from tonight onwards, streaking away from a patch of sky, or radiant, located close to the red supergiant star Eta Persei in the constellation Perseus.

To find the best meteors, you'll first want to locate Perseus glistening above the northwestern horizon after dark. Next, find a patch of sky 40 degrees above it, and settle in for one of the year's premier natural light shows. This is where the shooting star trails will be at their longest.

The Perseids are also famed for producing vivid green fireballs capable of briefly turning night to day as larger chunks of debris collide with Earth's atmosphere at speeds of up to 37 miles per second (59 kilometers per second).

When to look for Perseid meteors

Perseid meteors may be spotted anytime from 10 p.m. onward for viewers in the U.S., though the number of visible shooting stars will be higher in the hours before dawn, when the radiant rises to its highest point in the summer night sky. Try to head away from city lights and allow at least 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the darkness.

Relatively few shooting stars will be visible in the days following the shower's awakening compared to the peak. However, if you do catch one, you'll have seen the demise of a meteoroid that's likely been flying through space for thousands of years before reaching Earth.

"The meteors we see early and late during the activity are most likely the oldest as they have obviously been perturbed from the main orbit of the comet, which we encounter in mid-August," said Robsert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society in an email to Space.com.

The greatest number of meteors can be seen in the predawn hours of Aug. 13 as the shower reaches peak activity, when Earth passes through the densest section of the debris stream left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle.

Want to capture your own photos of the Perseid meteor shower? Then be sure to read our guide detailing how to image shooting stars, along with our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: Did you capture a photo of a Perseid and want to share it with Space.com's readers? Then please send your photos and comments, along with your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Heads up, stargazers! The notoriously unpredictable June Bootid meteor shower is set to peak this week — and anything could happen.

While most annual meteor showers follow a fairly predictable script, the June Bootids have a habit of surprising astronomers. Most years, the shower produces only a few meteors per hour. Occasionally, however, it erupts into an unexpected display.

In 1998, skywatchers were treated to an outburst of up to 100 meteors per hour, while another burst in 2004 produced an estimated 20-50 meteors per hour, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich. Yet the shower remains notoriously difficult to predict. In 2010, astronomers anticipated another outburst, but fewer than 10 meteors per hour were reported.

What causes the Bootids?

The June Bootids occur when Earth passes through debris left behind by comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke, which orbits the sun approximately every six years. As fragments of this icy wanderer's trail enter Earth's atmosphere, they burn up and create bright streaks of light we call meteors, or shooting stars.

When is it?

The shower is active through late June, with the peak of the shower predicted for between June 20 and June 27, according to the American Meteor Society.

How can I see it?

Most years, the June Bootids put on a very modest show with just one or two meteors per hour. However, they have earned a reputation for the unexpected, which is why many skywatchers keep an eye on them despite their modest rates. You never really know what the June Bootids have in store.

For the best chance of spotting a June Bootid, head to a dark location away from city lights if you can. The shower's radiant — the point from which the meteors appear to originate — lies in the constellation Boötes, which sits high in the western and southwestern sky during the evening for observers in the Northern Hemisphere.

While the radiant can help you identify June Bootids, you don't want to look directly at it. Instead, find a comfortable spot with a wide view of the sky and let your eyes adjust to the darkness for at least 20 minutes. Meteors are often easier to spot when you're scanning a broad area of sky.

A dazzling fireball streaked through the skies above the Midwest on June 14, crashing through Earth's atmosphere at a staggering 56,000 mph (90,123 km.h per hour) before burning up.

The fireball first appeared over Tupelo, Mississippi at 11:26 p.m. EDT on June 14 (0326 GMT on June 15). It then raced roughly 300 miles across the sky before disappearing from view over the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri according to NASA.

More than 500 witnesses reported the event to the American Meteor Society,— some of whom uploaded footage of the fiery event. NASA's all-sky camera network also captured the fireball from three locations.

NASA estimates the object measured only about 3 inches (8 centimeters) across and weighed roughly 1 lb (453 grams), yet it flared to 16 times the brightness of Venus as it tore through our planet's atmosphere.

The meteor — which is thought to be a small chunk of a much larger asteroid — was probably too small and traveled too fast to survive atmospheric entry and instead disintegrated entirely, leaving no parts of it to fall to the ground in the form of meteorites.

Want to see dramatic fireballs and shooting stars for yourself? Well you may not have long to wait! The Perseid meteor shower is active from mid-July and peaks overnight on Aug. 12-13— around the same time as a spectacular total solar eclipse sweeps across Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain.

Check out our shooting star explainer article to discover everything you need to know about the spectacular natural phenomenon, along with our roundup of every major meteor shower in 2026, which will ensure that you never miss a display.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your fireball footage and imagery with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo/video accompanied by your comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Meteor showers occur during the day too, and the Arietids can put on quite a show this time of year.

The shower is active from May 22 to July 3, with a predicted peak around mornings of June 10, 2026, according to astronomy site Earth Sky.

Read more: Night sky June 2026: What you can see tonight

Unlike most meteor showers, however, there is a very narrow window for viewing the Arietids — about 45 to 60 minutes before sunrise. Because the sun washes out most of these meteors, the approach must be different from that of regular meteor showers if you are to catch them.

Do not look for the Arietids around midnight. Look to the eastern horizon before sunrise. Best viewing occurs right as the earliest hint of dawn touches the night sky.

The Arietids' radiant is near the star 41 Arietis (Bharani) in the constellation Aries. Since the radiant is hugging the eastern horizon at that time, the meteors won't "fall down from above." They will seem to shoot straight up from the horizon, which is quite a sight to see. They can also be seen skimming horizontally across the top of the atmosphere.

Since they restrict the field of view too much to enjoy this spectacle fully, you can put away your binoculars and telescopes for this one (and, seriously, with the sun not being far behind, lurking just below the horizon, it's best not to use binoculars and telescopes in view of the danger of inadvertently pointing them at the sun, which can permanently injure your eyes). The best way to observe any meteor shower is with the naked eye. Make yourself comfortable and enjoy.

For the most adventurous amateur who wants to push the boundaries of visual observation, the Arietids are also an interesting target for basic radio astronomy that requires very little equipment to enjoy.

Listen for meteors

Instead of looking for the Arietids with your eyes, you can "listen" to them with an old antenna and a standard FM radio receiver. When a meteor slams into the upper atmosphere, it vaporizes and leaves behind a column of ionized gas that acts like a temporary mirror for radio signals.

Simply tune the FM radio receiver to a distant frequency that normally only delivers static. Leave the radio on. When an Arietid streaks across the daytime sky, the ionized trail will bounce distant signals right into the antenna, resulting in an eerie short burst of music or voice breaking through the static.

Searing across the night sky, a meteor puts on a spectacular show above a powerful observatory.

The meteor's blaze was captured above the U.S. National Science Foundation's (NSF) Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO).

What is it?

Petr Horálek, a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador, captured this photograph of a meteor soaring above the KPNO, which is located on Kitt Peak in the Quinlan Mountains in the Sonoran Desert. The observatory is in southern Arizona, on the land of the Tohono O'odham Nation. KPNO is also part of the NSF's NOIRLab (National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory).

In the image, you can see an observatory dome to the left of the bright meteor's blaze. This is the dome of the WIYN 0.9-meter telescope, and to its right is the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope.

Above these scopes, the meteor is surrounded by quite an impressive view. The night sky in this image contains the constellations Orion and Canis Major, and you can even see some interesting bright red structures in the sky. These are emission nebulae, or clouds of ionized gas that emit light.

Why is it incredible?

It is no easy feat capturing an image of a meteor in motion. The brilliant streak is often visible for just a moment or two. Even if you are outside sitting and waiting and staring at the sky, the second you turn your head elsewhere you might miss it.

The most active meteor showers generate enough action to give you a decent shot of catching one in a photograph. But even in the best of circumstances, capturing a meteor in a photo this spectacular takes both serious skill and luck.

But Horálek didn't just manage to capture a mid-streak meteor. The astrophotographer also framed the meteor with the tree line, the telescopes, and a fantastical backdrop of the night sky. That takes skill, luck and an artistic eye.

A sonic boom heard throughout the northeastern United States last week was caused by a meteor, NASA confirmed after consulting satellite imagery.

The meteor's boom, heard widely on Saturday (May 30) at 2:06 p.m. EDT (local time), was audible over the northeastern U.S. NASA made the determination that it was a meteor based on both eyewitness reports to the American Meteor Society as well as images from the GOES-19 satellite from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

"The meteor appears to have fragmented at an altitude of 40 miles over northeast MA and southeast NH," NASA officials wrote on X on Sunday (May 31). "The energy released at breakup is estimated to be equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT, which accounts for the loud noise."

Sometimes meteors are associated with meteor showers, or annual clusters of visible meteors associated with the Earth passing through the dust stream of a comet or asteroid. The May 30 event was not one of those, NASA noted.

The GOES-19 geostationary lightning mapper captured the meteor's flash, added the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere based at Colorado State University in a separate X post on Saturday with imagery of the event.

NBC News also captured video footage of the daytime event, noting the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said safety officials received reports of an "audible boom" as well as shaking in the state's eastern area.

Meanwhile, video shared to the American Meteor Society by R. Schott shows the fireball streaking through the daytime sky as its boom can be heard:

Unfortunately for meteorite-hunters, it appears that pieces of the space rock all fell into the middle of Cape Cod Bay, stated NASA's Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science division on Saturday. "This fall into water is technically called a 'fishy squisher', in uber-serious scientific terms," the agency stated.

Radar signatures, shown in the map, show the meteor at KBOX (Boston, Mass.), TBOS (Boston Logan International Airport), KOKX (Long Island, N.Y.), and KENX (Albany, N.Y.), while officials said they may have seen another signature from from KGYX (Portland, Maine).

"While all the meteorites from this fall landed in water, the water depth at the fall site is 34 m (100 feet)," NASA officials added. "Most meteorites are strongly attracted to a magnet, and these ones are within reach of a 100-feet length of rope dangled off of a boat. In case anyone is interested in such factoids."

Natural meteors originate from extraterrestrial rock sources: a space rock about to enter our atmosphere is a meteoroid, one streaking through is a meteor, and one that has arrived on the ground is called a meteorite. Most of these events involve very small rocks, including grains of dust, although NASA (and increasingly, the U.S. Space Force) is always on the lookout for potentially threatening objects originating from space.

Heads up, skywatchers! Don't miss the Eta Aquarid meteor shower tonight, as activity peaks in the predawn hours of May 6.

Under ideal conditions, it's possible to see up to 60 meteors per hour when viewing from the Southern Hemisphere, but viewers in the Northern Hemisphere will see significantly fewer due to the Eta Aquarid radiant (the point in the sky the meteors appear to streak from) remaining low above the southeast horizon.

But viewing conditions are not looking promising for the Eta Aquarids this year. The peak occurs not long after the full moon on May 1, meaning the moon will still be about 81% illuminated during peak activity. Its bright light will wash out fainter meteors. However, that's not to say the shower is not worth looking for if you've got clear skies. The Eta Aquarids are known for producing dazzling "Earthgrazers" in the past, bright meteors emerging from Aquarius and skimming the atmosphere horizontally, leaving bright, colorful, long-lasting trails.

Where to look

For observers in the Northern Hemisphere, the Eta Aquarids will appear low on the horizon, emanating from the constellation Aquarius. For observers in the Southern Hemisphere, the Eta Aquarids are one of the best meteor showers of the year as the radiant appears much higher in the sky.

When to look

The best time to look for the Eta Aquarids is in the early morning hours of May 6, just before dawn. By this time, Aquarius is at its highest in the sky (albeit still fairly low).

What are they?

When you see an Aquarid meteor, you're watching a tiny piece of Halley's Comet burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Halley's Comet is a periodic comet that returns to Earth's vicinity once every 75 years or so. It was last here in 1986 and is projected to return in 2061. The comet, officially called 1P/Halley, is named after English astronomer Edmond Halley.

Viewing tips

• Head to a dark location away from city lights if possible
• Once there, allow your eyes at least 20-30 minutes to adjust to the darkness and avoid looking at your phone during this time (easier said than done!), as this will reset your night vision
• Wrap up warm, as you could be outside for a long time. Meteors can come in bursts, so give yourself at least an hour or two to enjoy the show.

If you're hoping to capture an Aquarid meteor on camera, our guide on how to photograph meteor showers can help. We've also rounded up the best cameras for astrophotography if you're thinking of upgrading your kit for the next big sky show.

Editor's Note: If you snap a photo of an Eta Aquarid meteor and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

It's meteor season once again, skywatchers! The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks in the early hours of May 6, and you can follow the show live from wherever you are thanks to these skywatching livestreams.

While the Eta Aquarids are best seen from the Southern Hemisphere, these live feeds give you a front-row seat no matter your location.

If you're planning to step outside and watch in person, take a look at our guide on how and where to see the Eta Aquarid meteor shower.

Atacama Desert, Chile

Set beneath some of the darkest skies on Earth, this stream from the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) offers ideal viewing conditions.

Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Streaming from high above the clouds, this feed comes from Mauna Kea, one of the world's premier astronomy sites. With minimal light pollution and crystal clear air, it's ideal for meteor watching.

New Zealand

This livestream offers a view from the top of New Zealand's South Island, a prime location for catching the Eta Aquarids at their best. With dark skies and a southern hemisphere vantage point, the region is an ideal place to hunt for meteors during the peak.

Embleton, U.K.

This U.K.-based sky cam captures a broad stretch of sky, increasing your chances of spotting quick meteor streaks.

Japan

Tune in to the skies over Japan, where multiple live cams track throughout the night, giving you a great chance to catch sight of a meteor or two.

Editor's Note: If you snap a photo of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Just before daybreak on Wednesday morning (May 6), is the peak of the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower. This meteor display is active in the first week of May and produces long streaks whose paths are aimed away from the "Water Jar" of Aquarius.

Their streaks are long for a good reason, which we'll explain in a moment.

The Eta Aquarids have a most interesting lineage. Unlike some of the other annual meteor displays whose history can be traced back for many centuries, the Eta Aquarids were not "officially discovered" until the late 19th century. In 1870, while sailing in the Mediterranean Sea, Lieutenant Colonel G.L. Tupman (1838-1922) sighted 15 meteors on the morning of April 30, and another 13 a few mornings later. All the meteors Tupman sighted appeared to emanate from the zodiacal constellation of Aquarius the Water Bearer. Then in 1876, Professor Alexander Stewart Herschel (1836-1907) pointed out that the orbit of Halley's Comet nearly coincided with Earth's orbit during the first week of May and that if we encountered any comet debris capable of producing meteors, those streaks of light would appear darting from the vicinity of Aquarius.

Herschel immediately noted that Tupman's observations were very close to his prediction. In the years that followed, increasing numbers of other astronomers and observers also noted similarities between the orbits of Halley's Comet and the Eta Aquarid stream.

Like other comets, Halley's is a cosmic litterbug; about every three-quarters of a century as it sweeps closest to the sun, it leaves a "river of rubble" in its wake along its orbit. When Earth interacts with that rubble river, those comet bits race through our atmosphere at high speeds to produce the effect of "shooting stars."

As it turns out, Halley is responsible for not one, but two annual meteor displays:

The dusty material that the comet releases into space on its way toward the sun produce the Orionid meteors of late October, while the material that is released after the comet has rounded the sun and is heading back to the outer limits of the solar system produces the Eta Aquarids of early May.

Moon muscles in

But to curb your enthusiasm, it is necessary to also tell you that this year the Eta Aquarids will be poorly seen, because of glare from a waning gibbous moon, which turned full on May 1. Although not as bright (81% illuminated) as when it was full, it will still serve to significantly light up the morning sky and likely squelch most of the fainter streaks from being visible. In other years — without a bright moon — the Eta Aquarids are usually the richest meteor display for observers in the Southern Hemisphere, producing up to 60 meteors per hour.

Too low

But bright moonlight is only one of two obstacles in viewing this shower. The other problem is that if you live north of the equator, hourly meteor rates drop off rather rapidly. This is especially true for north temperate latitudes because the Eta Aquarid radiant, where the meteors appear to dart from, never reaches a high altitude above the southeast horizon (it rises around 3 a.m. local daylight time), so rates are correspondingly low. Because these meteors appear to radiate from a position low on the eastern horizon for mid-northern latitudes, watchers in the tropics are best placed. Under the most favorable conditions, a dozen or more meteors per hour can be seen from the Eta Aquarid swarm. Observers from mid-northern latitudes, however, may only see about half as many.

Hope for a "grazer"

Still . . . even if you live in a far northern location, there is still reason to head outside and take a look, for it is possible that you just might luck out and sight an "Earthgrazer." These are bright meteors emerging from the Aquarid radiant that will skim the atmosphere horizontally — much like a bug skimming the side window of an automobile. They also sometimes leave colorful, long-lasting trails.

Remember earlier when we said that the Aquarid meteor trails are long? Well . . . Earth-grazing meteors tend to be extremely long and usually appear to hug the horizon rather than shooting overhead where most cameras are aimed. "Earthgrazers are rarely numerous," cautions Bill Cooke, a member of the Space Environments team at the Marshall Space Flight Center. "But even if you only see a few, you're likely to remember them."

Comet crumbs

And if for nothing else, remember that if you catch sight of an Aquarid meteor, you will have seen a piece of space debris that was shed by the famous Halley's Comet in past centuries. They remain traveling more or less along the comet's 75-year orbit around the sun. Each meteoroid collides with Earth's upper atmosphere at 41 miles (66 km) per second, creating an incandescent trail of shocked, ionized air. It is this hot trail and not the tiny meteoroid itself that is what you see. These particles are not very large and likely range in size from sand grains to pebbles, and they have the consistency and texture of cigar ash or copier toner — debris that astronomers believe dates back nearly five billion years to the birth of the solar system; primordial material which happens to intersect the orbit of Earth about this time in early May every year.

And just in case you're wondering, Halley's Comet itself will return to the sun's vicinity during the summer of 2061. So based on life expectancy statistics, if you were born anytime after 1982, you have a better than 50-50 chance to see the comet itself. Until then, we'll have to be satisfied with catching sight of shooting stars that are really the traces of that famous visitor from the depths of space . . . and quite possibly the dawn of creation.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, Sky and Telescope, The Old Farmer's Almanac and other publications.

The peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower is almost here! Read on to discover the best time to spot the fast-moving shooting stars as Earth barrels through the debris trail shed by Halley's Comet.

When are the Eta Aquarids most active?

In 2026, the Eta Aquarids are active from April 19 to May 28 and come to a broad peak overnight on May 5-6. Your best chance to spot shooting stars will be during the predawn hours of May 6, when the shower's radiant — which points into the stream of the oncoming cometary debris — reaches its highest altitude for viewers in the northern hemisphere.

The shower's peak will be strongest for those watching from the southern hemisphere tropics, where up to 50 meteors may be seen streaking across the night sky each hour under ideal conditions, according to the American Meteor Society.

Viewing conditions are less favorable in the northern hemisphere, where it may be possible to spot 10-30 meteors, though, in practice, this number could be even lower. That's because the waning gibbous moon will appear in the sky at the same time, most likely outshining many of the fainter shooting stars.

A troublesome moon

The 84%-lit lunar disk rises above the southeastern horizon shortly after midnight on the night of May 5-6, flooding the sky with moonlight that will hide dimmer meteors from view, resulting in a potential hourly rate of under 10 sightings per hour for those in the northern hemisphere.

Where to look for Eta Aquarid meteors

First, locate the shower radiant in the constellation Aquarius, which can be found rising above the eastern horizon to the left of the waning moon roughly three hours after midnight for stargazers in the U.S.

We'd advise using a smartphone astronomy app like Stellarium or SkySafari 7 Pro to help you find the radiant in the glare of the nearby moon.

Next find a patch of sky 40 degrees away from the radiant — roughly the equivalent to the width of four clenched fists held at arm's length against the night sky. Eta Aquarid meteors are known for leaving persistent glowing trains in their wakes, and it's here they will be at their most impressive.

Shooting stars make for a magnificent sight to the naked eye and are just as incredible through the lens of a camera! Why not read our guide to photographing shooting stars ahead of the Eta Aquarid peak, alongside our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you capture a photo of an Eta Aquarid meteor and want to share it with Space.com's readers, then please send your image(s), along with your name, comments and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is almost here! Here's what you need to know as the shooting star display ramps up to peak activity, including when and where to look, viewing conditions and more!

Eta Aquarid meteors can be spotted from April 19 to May 28 as Earth passes through the debris trail left in the wake of Halley's Comet as the comet races along its 76-year orbit. Sightings of Halley's Comet in Earth's sky date back to over 2,000 years ago, and with each pass, the object sheds another stream of particles. These repeated streams serve as the origins of several shooting star displays.

In 2026, the Eta Aquarid peak will occur overnight on May 5-6, as Earth travels through the densest part of Halley's debris stream. Stargazers in the southern hemisphere could see up to 50 shooting stars crisscrossing the night sky while those in the northern hemisphere will be treated to a more modest showing of between 10-30 meteors per hour, according to the American Meteor Society.

Shooting stars associated with the shower become visible when tiny shards of Comet Halley impact Earth's gaseous shell at over 40.7 miles per second (64 kilometers per second), carving a fiery path through the atmosphere as they're overwhelmed by the pressure and force of atmospheric entry.

Viewing conditions

The 84%-lit waning gibbous moon will flood the sky with moonlight after it rises around midnight on the night of May 5-6, which will hide fainter shooting stars, dropping the hourly rate to below 10 shooting stars per hour. On the bright side, the Eta Aquarid's are known to produce the occasional fireball, which could easily pierce the veil of moonlight cast by the lunar disk.

How do I know if the shooting star I saw was an Eta Aquarid?

Meteors associated with the Eta Aquarids will streak away from a point of origin close to the bright stars Zeta Aquarii and Sadachbia in the constellation Aquarius, which can be found rising over the eastern horizon during early hours in early May.

Where should I look for shooting stars?

Eta Aquarid meteors may be seen whenever the radiant is above the horizon. The ideal time to hunt for shooting stars comes during the predawn hours of May 6, when the radiant will be at its highest above the eastern horizon.

First, locate the radiant to the left of the waning moon using a handy smartphone stargazing app. Then, find a patch of sky roughly 40 degrees away from this location in the direction of your local zenith (which is the point above your head). Here, the shooting stars will be at their most impressive.

Want to capture a gorgeous meteor photo for yourself? Then be sure to read our guide to photographing shooting stars, along with our picks of the best cameras and lenses for imaging the night sky in 2026.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The Lyrid meteor shower put on a spectacular show last night as Earth plunged through the debris stream cast off by comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), triggering a peak of activity that saw shooting stars blaze a path away from the blue-white star Vega in the constellation Lyra.

Shooting stars appear when fragments of comets and asteroids cross paths with Earth, ending their existence in a fiery outburst as they are swiftly overwhelmed by the extreme heat and pressure of atmospheric entry. The annual Lyrid meteor shower is among the most ancient on record, having been observed for the past 2,700 years, according to NASA.

This year's Lyrid meteor shower reached peak activity in the early hours of April 22, as Earth passed through the densest seam of comet Thatcher's debris trail. Read on to see a selection of gorgeous images captured from Earth and space on the nights surrounding the Lyrid's crescendo, as shooting stars tore fiery paths through the early spring sky.

Gorgeous photos of the 2026 Lyrid meteor shower

Astrophotographer Harlan Thomas captured a spectacular early morning natural light show on April 20, as a Lyrid meteor photobombed the northern lights above Alberta, Canada.

"The image was taken West of Calgary in an area called Jumping Pound on April 20, 2026 at 4:20 am MDT (1020 GMT)," Thomas told Space.com in an email. "A Coronal Hole High Speed Stream (CH HSS) had arrived the day earlier and the geomagnetic storm continued into the next day."

Thomas captured another bright Lyrid blazing earthward that same night, as columns of blue auroral light leapt skyward to crown a vibrant band of green, as a torrent of electrically charged particles from the sun collided with our planet's magnetic field.

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, meanwhile, snapped an out-of-this-world view of a Lyrid meteor streaking through Earth's atmosphere from the International Space Station's cupola, while orbiting 248 miles (400 kilometers) above our planet earlier this month.

The 3-second exposure captures the blue-white light of city lights shining below a red arc of airglow at the edge of Earth's atmosphere, where molecules have been excited by solar radiation, causing them to emit light. The meteor can be seen to the left of the image just below the curve of Earth's horizon.

Photographer Tim Pruss imaged a Lyrid shooting star as it intersected the path of a satellite between tree branches overnight on April 20-21, ahead of a potentially cloudy peak on the following night. "I reviewed over 2,000 images, frame by frame, just to find one meteor, and I’d do it again tomorrow," Pruss said to Space.com.

X user EricTheSpaceCat recorded several bright Lyrids as they carved fiery paths through the Minnesota sky overnight on April 19-20, as activity ramped up ahead of the shower's narrow peak a few days later.

Finally, Connecticut-based photographer Jeremy Cruz, caught a number of the fast-moving meteors that same night, using a Sony A7C II mirrorless camera set to capture 10-second exposures of the post-sunset sky.

The Lyrid meteor shower is active until April 25 — albeit at a lower hourly rate that falls the further you get from the peak — so get outside and look up over the coming nights for a chance to spot the bright fast-moving shooting stars before they vanish from our skies for another year!

Following the Lyrids, the next major meteor shower is the eta Aquariids, which reach peak activity overnight on May 5-6, when a maximum of 50 shooting stars could be seen each hour.

Feeling inspired to capture your own meteor photos? Then be sure to read our guide to photographing shooting stars, along with our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for imaging the night sky.

Heads up, skywatchers! Don't miss the Lyrid meteor shower tonight, as activity peaks in the predawn hours of April 22.

Under ideal conditions, it's possible to see up to 20 meteors per hour during the peak, with the chance to witness dramatically bright flashes known as fireballs.

Viewing conditions are looking promising for the Lyrids this year. The moon will set around midnight, leaving darker skies for the peak hours before dawn. While the shower continues through April 25, tonight offers your best chance to catch it at its peak.

Where to look

Lyrids can appear anywhere in the sky, but they trace back to an origin point known as a radiant in the constellation Lyra, near the bright star Vega.

Lyra rises in the northeast and climbs higher as the night goes on, making the early morning hours the best time to watch. For the most impressive streaks, look slightly away from the radiant — this is where meteors appear longer and more dramatic,

And if you can't get outside, you can still enjoy the show via live night sky streams from around the world.

When to look

The best time to look for Lyrids is in the early morning hours of April 22, just before dawn. By this time, Lyra is high in the sky and the moon has already set, reducing light interference.

What are they?

When you see a Lyrid meteor, you're watching a tiny piece of Comet Thatcher burning up in Earth's atmosphere.

Comet Thatcher is a long-period comet that last made its closest approach to Earth in 1861. Each year, our planet plows through the debris it left behind, producing the Lyrid meteor shower.

Viewing tips

• Head to a dark location away from city lights if possible
• Once there, allow your eyes at least 20-30 minutes to adjust to the darkness and avoid looking at your phone during this time (easier said than done!) as doing so will reset your night vision
• Wrap up warm as you could be outside for a long time. Meteors can come in bursts, so give yourself at least an hour to enjoy the show.

If you're hoping to capture the Lyrid meteor shower on camera, our guide on how to photograph meteor showers can help. We've also rounded up the best cameras for astrophotography if you're thinking of upgrading your kit for the next big sky show.

Editor's note: If you capture a photo of the Lyrid meteor shower and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The Lyrid meteor shower is currently active and peaks tonight, during predawn hours on April 22 — but if cloudy skies, light pollution, or a busy schedule are getting in your way of the show, you don't have to miss out.

A large number of high-quality night sky livestreams from around the world let you hunt for the Lyrids from the comfort of your home. Many livestreams even include a live chat where keen observers often drop timestamps to indicate when meteors streak across the sky, making it easier to catch the action. If you'd prefer to head outside, check out our guide on how and where to see the Lyrids in person.

Otherwise, here are some of the best livestreams to tune into right now.

Mauna kea, Hawaii

One of the highest-quality sky cams comes from Mauna Kea, home to world-class observatories like the Subaru Telescope. Thanks to its high altitude and exceptionally dark skies, this location offers stunning views of the Milky Way and countless stars.

Minnesota, U.S

This unique livestream lets you both see and hear the Lyrid meteor shower in action. A fisheye cam shows visible meteors, while a live radio feed detects faint "pings" from tiny particles burning up in Earth's atmosphere.

A real-time stats panel tracks meteor activity, revealing far more meteors than the camera alone can capture.

Maine, U.S

The atmospheric livestream from Sebec Lake in Maine pairs starry skies with relaxing music, perfect if you want something calming on in the background. During periods of heightened solar activity, there's even a chance of spotting auroras alongside meteors, adding an extra layer of magic to the already beautiful view!

Atacama desert, Chile

The dark skies above the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) in the Atacama Desert are among the clearest on Earth. This livestream is well worth a watch, with active chat users often sharing timestamps of meteor sightings and occasionally rarer phenomena like atmospheric sprites!

Embleton, U.K.

This sky cam from Embleton offers a wide field of view ideal for spotting meteors streaking across large sections of sky. When conditions are clear, it's a great option for spotting the Lyrids over U.K. skies.

Mount Fuji, Japan

Few backdrops rival Mount Fuji. This livestream pairs meteor hunting with one of the most iconic landscapes on Earth. If skies are clear, you might just catch a Lyrid meteor streaking above the mountain's silhouette.

The Lyrid meteor shower is nearing peak activity! Here's the best time to hunt for shooting stars as well as a guide on where to find them in the spring sky so you can maximize your chances of spotting these fast-moving meteors.

When are the Lyrids most active?

In 2026, the Lyrid meteor shower is active from April 16-25 and reaches peak activity around 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT) on April 22 during the day for viewers in the U.S., according to the American Meteor Society (AMS).

If you're watching from the U.S., your best time for spotting Lyrid shooting stars is during the hours preceding dawn on April 22, when up to 18 meteors may be seen each hour blazing away from an apparent point of origin, or radiant, located close to the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra.

The radiant rises to its highest point — when the most meteors will be visible — in the hours before sunrise.

As a bonus, the 27%-lit waxing moon will set below the horizon around 2 a.m. local time. That should provide a beautifully dark night sky upon which the natural light show can stand out. The shower will also spawn a decent number of meteors on the three nights surrounding the peak, so there's no need to despair if you miss the show on April 22!

Where to find Lyrid meteors

We see Lyrid meteors as Earth passes through the debris stream left behind by the wandering comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. The shower's radiant indicates the direction from which the meteors strike Earth's atmosphere. So, if you stare directly at the radiant, you won't get to see the shooting stars with the longest trains.

To find the best Lyrids, locate the blue-white light of Vega — and with it the approximate position of the radiant — shining high above the eastern horizon after the moon has set on April 22. Be sure to use a handy smartphone astronomy app to help point the way if you're not used to navigating the night sky. Many of these apps actually use augmented reality technology to pinpoint specific stars and deep sky objects, which makes the sometimes daunting prospect of finding your way about the starry sky a breeze.

Next, search for a clear patch of sky about 40 degrees away from the radiant — 40 degrees being roughly the width of four clenched fists held at arm's length. This is where the most spectacular shooting stars and fireballs can appear.

How to maximize your chances

The moon won't get in the way of your predawn meteor hunting, but city lights most certainly will! Head away from artificial lights and allow 20-30 minutes for your vision to adjust to the dark. Make sure you're using a red light to protect your night vision and that you've switched your astronomy app to "night mode" (or the equivalent setting).

Don't be tempted to use binoculars, as this will limit your field of view. Instead, lay back — ideally on a deckchair or blanket — and take in as much of the sky as possible. And if you're heading somewhere remote, be sure to let a friend or loved one know where you're watching the show from.

Editor's Note: If you snap a photo of a Lyrid meteor and want to share it with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

For enthusiastic meteor watchers, it has been a long stretch — nearly 16 weeks to be exact — since there has been a good opportunity to catch sight of a reasonably good meteor shower. There are ten displays during the year that are generally considered reliable and worth looking for. But the last of these peaked in early January — the Quadrantid meteors. Since then, we've gone through the rest of winter and into the first month of spring with not much in the way of significant meteor activity.

That drought will come to an end before dawn on Wednesday (April 22) with the appearance of one of the oldest known meteor showers.

The meteors are called "Lyrids" because their paths, if extended backward, appear to diverge from a spot in the sky about 9 degrees to the lower right of the brilliant bluish-white star Vega, in the constellation of Lyra, the Lyre. To give you a good idea of how far that is, your clenched fist held at arm's length measures 10 degrees. Within a day on either side of the maximum, about 5 to 10 Lyrids can usually be seen each hour by a single observer under good skies.

Good viewing circumstances

At the peak, which comes on Wednesday morning, the Lyrid rate is roughly 10 to 20 per hour.

Vega appears to rise from the northeast around 9 p.m. local daylight time, but by 4 a.m., it has climbed to a point in the sky nearly overhead. By that time, you might want to lie down on a long lounge chair where you can get a good view of the sky. Bundle up too, for while it probably won't be as cold as on a winter's night, nights (and especially early mornings) in April can still be quite chilly.

Finally, while the moon will arrive at first quarter phase on April 23, it will have set by 1:15 a.m. on Wednesday, leaving the sky dark and moonless for at least 3 and a quarter hours before the first light of dawn, providing a good backdrop for viewing this faithful meteor display.

Crumbs from Comet Thatcher

While hardly a rich display like the famous August Perseids or December Geminids, the April Lyrids are brilliant and appear to move fairly fast, appearing to streak through our atmosphere at 30 miles (48 km) per second. About 20-25% leave persistent trains. Their orbit strongly resembles that of C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), a comet which appeared in 1861 and has an orbital period of about 415 years; it's due to return sometime around the year 2276. The Earth's orbit nearly coincides with Comet Thatcher around April 22 each year. When we pass that part of our orbit, we ram through the dusty debris left behind by the comet.

Thus, the Lyrids are this comet's legacy: they represent the tiny bits and pieces shed by this comet on previous visits to the sun. None of us, of course, has any chance of seeing this comet's return engagement with the sun, but we will certainly be able to enjoy the sight of tiny bits and pieces that broke off its nucleus hundreds or thousands of years ago, blaze through our atmosphere in a fiery flash to create the effect of a "shooting star."

An ancient meteor shower

The Lyrid meteor shower has been observed for more than 2,600 years; Chinese records say "stars fell like rain" in the shower of 687 B.C. Quite spectacular displays have also been witnessed at least a dozen times since. On April 20, 1803, residents of Richmond, Virginia, after being roused out of bed by a fire bell, were surprised to see great numbers of meteors in all parts of the sky.

In 1922, an unexpected Lyrid rate of 96 per hour was recorded, and in 1982 rates unexpectedly reached 80 per hour, so although it is usually a weak display, the Lyrids have had a history to surprise observers, so it's always one to watch.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, Sky and Telescope, The Old Farmer's Almanac and other publications.

The Lyrid meteor shower is back, and knowing where to look can make all the difference when it comes to spotting these fast, bright shooting stars!

The Lyrids appear to radiate from the constellation Lyra, which rises in the northeast and climbs higher in the sky toward the early morning hours. (Yes, sorry, this shower favors the early birds!)

You can find Lyra by locating Vega, one of the brightest stars visible in the night sky at this time of year. It'll be shining bright above the northeastern horizon shortly after sunset and climb higher in the sky as the night progresses. A dedicated stargazing app can help you identify targets like Vega in the night sky with ease. BUT don't look directly at the radiant. While meteors appear to originate from Lyra, the longest and most dramatic streaks often appear farther away. Make sure to scan the sky surrounding the radiant while also keeping an eye on the rest of the sky, as Lyrids can appear unexpectedly in any and all parts of the sky!

The Lyrids can produce up to 15-20 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. Fortunately, the moon won't interfere with this year's display, as it will set after midnight and leave dark skies for peak viewing!

5 top tips to see the Lyrid meteor shower

1. Don't look directly at the radiant: Look slightly away from Lyra to catch longer, brighter meteor trails.
2. Face the darkest part of the sky: Turn away from city lights and aim your gaze at the darkest, clearest patch of sky possible.
3. Choose a wide, unobstructed view: Open landscapes like fields, beaches or hilltops give you a better chance at spotting meteors across a larger area.
4. Let your eyes adjust to the dark: Give your eyes at least 20-30 minutes to adapt, and avoid looking at your phone, as doing so means you'll need to start all over again!
5. Get comfortable and be patient: Lie back in a reclining chair or on a blanket. The longer you watch, the more you're likely to see, so make sure you're nice and warm!

If you want to try and capture the magic of the Lyrids in a photo, check out our guide to photographing meteor showers, along with our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your Lyrid meteor shower photos with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The Lyrid meteor shower has begun! Here's what to expect as the shooting star display brightens the spring night sky, when it peaks and how to know if you've spotted a Lyrid, or a sporadic meteor!

Lyrid meteors are visible each year as Earth passes through the trail of debris shed by the C/1861 G1 Thatcher, a long-period comet that visits the inner solar system just once every 415 years, according to NASA.

In 2026, the Lyrids are active from April 16-25 and reach peak activity on April 22, as Earth passes through the densest region of Thatcher's dusty trail.

Shooting stars associated with Comet Thatcher are known for producing fast-moving meteors that tend to lack long-lasting trains. The shower can also spawn impressive fireball events that outshine even the brightest planets, as bigger chunks of cometary debris — sometimes the size of a basketball, or larger — forge a flaming path through Earth's atmosphere

Viewing conditions

The waxing moon will be 40%-lit as the Lyrid meteor shower comes to a peak on the night of April 21-22, when up to 18 shooting stars may be visible brightening the night sky each hour. The lunar disk will set below the western horizon among the stars of the constellation Gemini roughly an hour and a half after midnight, leaving the sky beautifully dark for hunting meteors.

How do I know if the shooting star I saw was a Lyrid?

Shooting stars belonging to the Lyrid meteor shower appear to streak away from a patch of sky — known as the shower's radiant — close to the bright star Vega, whose blue-white light can be spotted shining in the constellation Lyra. This summer constellation rises to its highest point in the eastern sky in the predawn hours in mid-to-late April.

Lyrid meteors may be seen anytime after dark when the radiant is above the horizon. However, your best chance of catching the most shooting stars is in the predawn hours of April 22, as the shower ramps up to peak activity.

Where should I look to see shooting stars?

Head outside around three hours before sunrise and locate the bright star Vega in the eastern sky. If you're unfamiliar with the night sky, you should try navigating using a stargazing smartphone app, many of which use augmented reality to point you in the right direction.

When meteor hunting, it's never a good idea to stare directly at the radiant. Instead, try to find a patch of sky roughly 40 degrees — roughly the width of four clenched fists held at arm's length — away from it. Here, the meteor trails will be at their longest!

You may also like: The Lyrids are coming! How I watch meteor showers from the middle of a city

If possible, try to allow 20-30 minutes for your eyes to fully adapt to the dark and to use a red light to avoid spoiling your night vision. Be sure to check out our guide to photographing meteor showers if you're planning on capturing the event for yourself, along with our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your Lyrid meteor shower photos with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

During last April's Lyrid meteor shower, I left my camera outside and went to bed. I'd set my tripod, wide-angle lens pointed skyward, exposures firing every 30 seconds. It's my usual routine for meteor showers, particularly relatively minor displays like the Lyrids. Sure, it's the first display of "shooting stars" since January, but my camera would be more patient than I — and see more meteors than I could from my light-polluted location. It's a calculated kind of laziness, and I'd done just enough to feel like I'd taken part.

Hours later, just before dawn, I stepped outside to bring my camera in. The sky was tinted with a deep pre-sunrise blue, the stars beginning to fade. I switched off the camera — and then, of course, it happened. A sudden, brilliant meteor tore across the sky — exactly what the Lyrids are known for. Excited, I went inside, straight to my laptop, slid the camera's SD card in, and started flicking through its hundreds of identical images for a previous fireball. Nothing — not a trace. The camera had been watching all night, but captured zilch.

Meteor showers are about persistence, but they're also about luck. The camera gives you coverage — a way to stack the odds — and it's still the best tool there is for catching a fleeting streak of light. However, sometimes the sky keeps its best moments for those who happen to be looking up at exactly the right time. Even a lazy stargazer like me.

What's happening and when to look

The Lyrids peak overnight on Tuesday, April 21, through Wednesday, April 22 — officially. This year, the early hours of Wednesday will likely favor North American observers, while that day's post-sunset hours are best for European skywatchers. That's because the Lyrids are predicted to come to a peak at around 20:00 UTC (4:00 p.m. EDT and 9:00 p.m. BST) on April 22. That peak falls in daylight in Europe and North America, which means the real opportunities come before dawn and after sunset on either side.

However, the exact timing isn't that important for the Lyrids, since the rates — about 18 per hour under perfect skies — tend to hold up for a night or so either side. So the committed meteor-hunter effectively gets two chances this year, with the early hours of Thursday, April 23, worth considering as well. The sweet spot is the early hours — around 4-5 a.m. — when the radiant point, in the constellation Lyra, climbs high in the northeast, close to the brilliant star Vega.

This year, the lunar timing is also kind. A new moon on April 17 means skies will be largely free of moonlight during the peak mornings. That means even faint meteors may shine through from a dark-sky location.

The Lyrids have fascinated skywatchers for centuries. They originate from debris left by Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, a long-period visitor that last passed through the inner solar system in 1861 and will next visit in 2283. Each April, Earth plows through its dusty trail — tiny grains burning up in the atmosphere at around 30 miles per second. A few explode into fireballs.

How and when I'm watching the Lyrids

You don't need perfect darkness to get something out of a meteor shower. You certainly don't need a telescope (something that will hugely restrict your chances). You just need patience — and a decent workaround.

For me, that workaround is "lucky imaging." I'll point a wide-angle lens — somewhere between 14mm and 24mm — towards the northeast, roughly where Lyra will climb. Focus is really important. I know exactly where on the focus dial to set my Sigma 14mm F1.8 DG HSM ART to produce sharp-looking stars (I used to use a tiny sticker to help me — now I just remember). If you don't know your lens as well as that, focus manually on a star, zooming in on it either in live mode or on the captured image. Or set the dial to infinity point (∞) on your lens' dial and take an image, nudging past it for each successive image until the stars are sharp.

It goes without saying that you should always have a fresh, empty SD card and shoot in RAW. I'll set the camera to ISO 800-1600 and use 30-second exposures in continuous mode. At first, I'll effectively be trying to create a sharp-looking night sky image. Once I'm happy with the sharpness and the composition, I'll click the shutter release and lock it in position. Then I'll leave it for three hours or more, taking image after image.

The beauty of this method is that the camera only blinks every 30 seconds. While I'm inside, warm and probably distracted, the camera is quietly collecting evidence — frame after frame of empty sky, until one contains a "shooting star."

Is this the purest way to watch a meteor shower? No, but it gives me choices. I can be outside, eyes adapted, scanning the sky. After all, there's no substitute for witnessing a meteor in real time. But delegating to a camera is also fine (it's what professional astronomers spend their entire careers doing), and often results in great images.

Stargazer's corner: April 19-25, 2026

The Lyrids are not the only fireballs in town. The eta Aquariids — produced by none other than Halley's comet — kick off on April 19, and though the peak isn't until May 5-6, it increases the chances of seeing a "shooting star." But there's more than meteors to see this week.

• On Sunday, April 19, a 9%-illuminated waxing crescent moon will hang above the Pleiades open cluster. Look below for Venus, now beginning to dominate the post-sunset sky as the "Evening Star — and set to stun all summer.
• On Wednesday, April 22, the 38%-illuminated moon meets Jupiter in Gemini, creating a striking pairing early in the evening as the Lyrids pop.
• All week, Venus slides past the Pleiades after sunset, getting nearest on Thursday, April 23, a close conjunction that will have stargazers and astrophotographers out in force.
• By Saturday, April 25, a waxing gibbous moon sits right beside Regulus in Leo, a "grazing occultation" as seen from the eastern U.S.

Asterism of the week: farewell to the Winter Triangle

It's time to bid farewell to the bright stars of winter. Look to the southwest just after dark from the Northern Hemisphere this month, and you'll see the iconic Belt of Orion close to the horizon. So too an equilateral triangle of bright stars; Procyon in Canis Minor, reddish Betelgeuse in Orion and Sirius in Canis Major. They're most easily found this week by first locating bright planet Jupiter and looking below. The triangle, however, is merely an optical illusion, with Procyon and Sirius at 11.4 and 8.7 light-years from the sun, but Betelgeuse at a whopping 650 light-years distant. The night sky isn't flat. With careful eyes, you can appreciate depth by identifying the sun's very close neighbors from distant stars.

My stargazing obsession: what the night sky looks like from space

The news that light pollution has worsened by 16% between 2014 and 2022 is truly depressing — and utterly obvious to stargazers who've witnessed the migration to cheap LED lighting. Last week, we got a glimpse of what the night sky looks like from the ultimate dark-sky site: space itself. NASA's Artemis II astronauts recently shared an image of the Milky Way from deep space, a beautiful shot of its bright core without distortion — and photobombed by the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) in the bottom-right corner. The image appeared just before April 12, nicknamed Yuri's Night to commemorate the date in 1961 that Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space in Vostok 1, and the first to see the stars from orbit.

A series of fireballs — very bright meteors — were spotted across North America from March 17-23, 2026. People in Ohio reported one on March 17. The next sightings were in California on March 19, Michigan and Georgia on March 20, and Texas on March 21, where a fragment crashed through a house roof.

It's happening beyond the U.S. Vancouver saw a fireball on March 3. France and Germany reported sightings on March 8 and 11. Many fireballs lasted a long time and were seen across wide areas. Some caused pressure waves and sonic booms.

Is something weird happening?

A clustering of fireballs

There's definitely been a clustering in fireball sightings. The American Meteor Society's fireball reporting database reported 1,587 reports in the U.S. in January, 1,425 in February and over 2,369 in March at the time of writing. Are meteor rates genuinely increasing, or are there mitigating factors that make all of this action a mere statistical anomaly, or primarily a reporting effect?

"This is the question everybody wants answered," said Nick Moskovitz, a planetary scientist at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, to Space.com. "I think we are looking at slightly elevated meteor activity, though still well within statistical expectations, and increased awareness and reporting, which happens whenever big events occur." The event Moskovitz is referring to occurred on March 21, when a 1-ton, 3-foot-wide meteor exploded over Texas, with a cannonball-sized fragment crashing through the roof of a house in Bammel, near Cypress Station, north of Houston, Texas. The massive fireball traveled at 35,000 mph and was accompanied by a loud sonic boom, according to NASA. The fragment landed in a bedroom, causing a surge in media coverage.

What the American Meteor Society data reveals

Has fireball activity increased? A detailed analysis by the American Meteor Society, led by Mike Hankey, says the trend may be real — but not straightforward. The March 24 report notes that while total fireball counts are only slightly higher than recent years, large, widely witnessed events have surged.

March 2026 stands out for the intensity and number of fireballs. Several produced meteorites in a short time — an uncommon event. "We might see 10 meteorite recoveries a year worldwide," said Hankey. "We had three recoveries in a week or ten days."

Instead of a uniform increase, the AMS found events with 50 or more reports have more than doubled. Events with over 100 reports have also doubled compared to recent averages. Smaller events remain about the same as before. This pattern suggests a genuine change in incoming material, not just more people reporting. Something unusual appears to have occurred in the distribution of large events.

The recent increase in reports may also be linked to advancements in technology and widespread camera use, prompting the question of whether these tools are amplifying the apparent surge.

Fireballs: AI and dash cams

One possible reason for more fireball reports is the growing role of technology — like video uploads to the AMS from dash cams, Ring doorbells, and security cameras. "It's not just serendipitous captures from these devices, but also their increasing affordability over the past 10 years that makes them accessible for scientific uses," said Moskovitz.

The Global Meteor Network, an international array of cameras pointed at the night sky 24/7, is overseen by a dedicated group of scientists and amateurs. "The data volume is now so large that no human could review it all, so automated routines find and report detections every night," said Moskovitz. However, bright events often saturate detectors and are missed, so citizen reports to AMS often alert professionals and prompt manual archive checks. Systems like NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) can detect larger objects globally but miss many smaller fireballs.

There's also the prospect that the rise of AI chatbots for guiding web searches may be leading to increased reporting of events. "People go to AI when they need to learn something, so if they saw a fireball, they might go to the AI — and the AI does say to report your sighting to the AMS," said Hankey, to Space.com. However, he was quick to caution against overestimating this effect. "One of those things that we can rule out is AI-driven report amplification. It's a possibility, but it can't account for everything."

While AI and new detection tech make reporting easier, they do not explain why there are more large, energetic fireball events.

Fireballs: trajectories and sonic booms

There's always going to be an observational bias; when fireballs occur over densely populated areas, there will be more sightings, as opposed to over the ocean. However, the length of a meteor's trajectory is also crucial. "When a trajectory is hundreds of miles long, more people are going to see it," said Hankey, stating that a fireball in Germany and France was reported by 3200 people because the track was 300 kilometers long. "If a meteor lasts 14 seconds versus one second, we're going to get more witness reports — it's just common sense." So it may be that the uptick in reports of late is because there are not just more or bigger meteors, but more long-lasting meteors that are hanging in the sky longer.

Something else that supports the hypothesis that recent meteors have been larger than usual is the prevalence of sonic booms — loud, explosive sounds caused by shockwaves when meteoroids, small rocky or metallic bodies from space, penetrate deeper into the Earth's atmosphere than usual. This deeper entry often indicates larger or denser objects. The American Meteor Society (AMS) data support this. In early 2026, nearly 80% of large fireballs (those with 50+ reports) produced audible booms — an unusually high rate. It's not a metric that can be artificially inflated by reporting effects. Together, these findings suggest that at least part of the surge reflects a real increase in the number of substantial incoming objects.

Fireballs: seasonal explanations

The spike in fireballs is not linked to a meteor shower. Although there are meteor showers year-round, there are no major events in March. "Meteor showers in general aren't really known for fireballs anyway," said Hankey. Meteor showers can produce fireballs, but sporadic meteors are more commonly responsible for the largest events. These fireballs come from asteroids, not comets.

However, there are seasonal effects tied to Earth's position in its orbit, particularly around the equinox, which occurred on March 20. "Spring is fireball season," said Bill Cooke at the NASA Meteoroid Environment Office, to Spaceweather.com. "For reasons we don't fully understand, the rate of very bright meteors climbs 10% to 30% during weeks around the vernal equinox." He added that meteorite fragments hitting the ground are more common in spring. Some astronomers think Earth passes through more large debris at this time of year, according to NASA.

Another seasonal effect is the anthelion source of sporadic meteors — anthelion referring to the region of the sky opposite the sun. In February, it's at its highest in the sky in the middle of the night. The fireballs are coming from this anthelion source, which has some interesting effects. Firstly, it makes them easier to see, in theory. "If you think about like Perseids or Geminids — the meteor rates are highest when the radiant is highest in the sky," said Hankey. Secondly, it makes them slower. "When they're coming from this anthelion source, Earth's velocity is subtracted from their velocity, so when they finally hit, they're very slow," said Hankey. Such fireballs have lower relative speeds because they are moving in similar directions to Earth. "It's like a car coming up next to you on the highway, trying to overtake you in a merge lane — if no one slows down, eventually you just collide." However, Hankey stresses that the recent increase goes beyond typical seasonal variation; there's still an almost doubling in the largest events.

Fireballs: the uptick is real

The emerging picture is of a real shift, albeit one that's not yet fully understood. Multiple lines of evidence — from increased sonic booms to higher witness counts for large events — point toward a change in the types of meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere. However, scientists caution that the dataset remains limited. The uptick in fireball sightings could represent natural variability, a temporary clustering of debris, or a poorly understood feature of the near-Earth environment. Whatever is going on, there is no cause for alarm — these objects remain small on a cosmic scale and rarely pose a threat beyond localized effects. Earth is not under siege.

NASA has released a "strewn field" map of where meteorites may have fallen after a rare daytime fireball explosively disintegrated in the skies over Houston on Saturday (March 21) evening — with the force of 26 tons of TNT.

Houston residents reported hearing loud booms as pressure waves brought about by the meteor's demise reached the ground at 5:40 p.m. EDT (21:40 GMT), following its brief but fiery descent.

As the roughly 1-ton (1,000-kilogram) meteor struck the atmosphere, it created a flash of light bright enough to register on lightning mapping instruments aboard NOAA's GOES satellites, which hold geostationary orbits tens of thousands of miles above Earth's surface.

"Most of the mass of an object like this is reduced to atoms and fine droplets during the fireball and only a few percent of the total mass survives to reach the ground, scattered across a range of meteorite sizes," according to a post from NASA's Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division (ARES).

Where did the meteorites fall?

Scientists detected meteor fragments falling through the Texas skies for eight minutes following its destruction 29 miles (46.6 kilometers) above the community of Bammel in Harris County on the evening of March 21. The fragments may have come to rest on a swathe of densely populated land between Willowbrook and Northgate Crossing.

In the image above, the potential distribution of the meteor fragments can be seen visualized in a strewn field map created by NASA's Ares division. The colors overlaid on the map indicate where you're likely to find larger or smaller meteorites, with red marking the zone where the heaviest (around 2.2 pounds, or 1 kilogram) shards may have fallen, and yellow where the lightest (around 0.04 ounces, or 1 gram) samples may be found.

ARES notes the map is provisional and subject to being updated when a discrepancy is resolved between its model of the event and another made by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. The agency also cautions potential meteorite hunters not to trespass on private property during their search.

Think you've found a meteorite? Your first step should be to compare it to images of confirmed meteorites online before contacting your local university's geology department for advice and potential verification. You can also take a look for yourself using our handy home guide to identifying meteorite features? Try not to handle it too much with your bare hands, as the oils contained in your skin can degrade precious samples contained within the ancient meteorite, which dates back to the formation of the solar system.

This fireball incident follows hot on the heels of a separate daytime fireball event that rattled houses over northern Ohio on the morning of March 17, scattering meteorites in the vicinity of Medina County. Both fireballs are likely isolated events and aren't associated with major meteor showers.

A rare daytime fireball burst to life in the skies over the Midwest on the morning of March 17, creating a loud sonic boom that rattled houses as the meteor arced Earthward before fracturing over northern Ohio with the force of 250 tons of TNT. Now, the hunt is on to find the precious shards of the ancient wanderer, which carry significant scientific and monetary value.

The 7-ton (7,000-kilogram) meteoroid struck Earth's atmosphere at 8:57 a.m. EDT (12:57 GMT), leaving a fiery trail as it compressed the air molecules in its path, prompting over 200 fireball reports on the American Meteor Society website (AMS).

Its explosive fragmentation caused pressure waves to propagate through the air, triggering sonic booms that were heard through much of northern Ohio, while scattering fragments in the vicinity of Medina County, according to NASA. So what happened to these fragments?

Where did it land?

The fireball's journey through the atmosphere ended abruptly between the cities of Akron and Canton, Ohio, according to the American Meteor Society's computer generated map, which draws data from eyewitness reports.

However, AMS meteor expert Robert Lunsford adds a note of caution to any hoping to use the data to pinpoint fragments of the meteor. "It should be known that this trajectory is obtained from data provided by those who filled out our reports," Lunsford told Space.com in an email.

"Many of these folks are a bit haphazard in filling out these forms, especially when it comes to time and direction. I had many reports dated 2025 and several February. Therefore, this area may be off by many miles in any direction".

What do the fragments look like?

The meteoroid that created the spectacular daytime fireball is thought to have measured 6 feet (1.8 meter) in diameter when it struck Earth's atmosphere, However, the individual shards that you might be able to find on the ground following its demise are likely to be much smaller — just 1-2 inches (2.5-5 centimetres) in diameter.

"They would appear different from normal rocks found in the area as they usually have a fusion crust, created by the intense heat while passing through the atmosphere," said Lunsford. "They would probably look like bits of charcoal on the outside and lighter on the inside if broken."

Several Ohio residents have already claimed to have found chunks of the meteor, including one family from Medina County who found a walnut-sized rock in their driveway. “We haven't touched it yet. It's definitely black like a black coal," she said, "You can see some areas that's been melted as it came through, I guess," said Ohio resident December Harris in an interview with Fox 8 News.

What to do if you find one

Meteorites are hardy enough to survive the trial of atmospheric entry, but you should still handle them with care if you're lucky enough to find a shard lying on the ground. Thankfully, any pieces you find won't be hot to the touch — even if you find them immediately after they've fallen.

"They reach terminal velocity of about 300 mph while still many miles up in the atmosphere," explained Lunsford. "The last part of their flight is spent free-falling through frigid air (even in summer) before reaching the ground."

Try not to touch any potential meteorites with your bare hands, as the oils on your skin could degrade well-preserved samples of primordial matter that date back to the formation of our solar system billions of years ago. That said, the ancient rocks pose no health hazard to humans. "Meteorites may be radioactive, but at levels far below being dangerous," continued Lunsford.

If you think you've found a space rock, you should first compare it to images of confirmed meteorites online, according to Lunsford. If it's a good match then you could then contact the geology department of your nearest university and send them clear images of your candidate meteorite. You can also take a look at it through a microscope using our home guide to identifying and observing meteorite features!

While the odds of it dropping fragments on Earth are quite low, the next major meteor shower is the Lyrids, which is active from April 16-25 and comes to a peak on the night of April 21-22, when up to 18 meteors — and the occasional fireball — could be spotted each hour. Why not get ready for the natural light show by reading our guide to photographing shooting stars with a camera? While you're at it be sure to peruse our roundups of the best lenses and cameras for capturing the night sky.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Residents in the midwestern U.S. reported hearing a powerful sonic boom that has since been attributed to a potential daytime meteor, whose dramatic demise may have been witnessed by a satellite from geostationary orbit over 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) above Earth.

"The latest GLM imagery (1301Z) does suggest that the boom was a result of a meteor," wrote the official account for the Cleveland National Weather Service in an X post responding to a curious user. The explosion heard over northern Ohio may have been a sonic boom, produced as the interplanetary visitor passed through Earth's atmosphere at supersonic speeds.

Dr. Jim Lloyd of northern Ohio posted what appears to be footage of the event to X, which clearly shows a bright fireball streaking through the daytime sky at 8:56 a.m. EDT (1256 GMT). The daytime fireball can be seen leaving a glowing trail as it flared Earthward through the cloud-dappled sky.

Another view was captured by Pittsburgh National Weather Service employee Jared Rackley, once again revealing a fireball tearing through the morning sky. Others reported that their homes physically shook as a result of the loud boom.

The meteor's passage was also seemingly captured from orbit by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's GOES-19 satellite, which recorded a bright flash of light above northern Ohio in its Geostationary Lightning Mapper instrument.

Did anything make it to the surface?

It takes a significantly large chunk of space debris — sometimes larger than a beachball — to create a fireball meteor that can be seen in the daytime sky. As such, they are exceedingly rare.

"When an extraordinarily large meteor (beach ball size or larger) enters the atmosphere it often survives down to the lower atmosphere where the air molecules are dense enough to carry sound," Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society told Space.com.

"Therefore, folks below the path will hear a sonic boom that is usually delayed by many seconds compared to seeing the fireball. This is also a good indication that the fireball produced fragments on the ground. Our computer generated trajectory indicates that these may have fallen in the vicinity of Akron, Ohio. The source of this object is not yet known, but it is most likely a random occurrence not associated with any known meteor shower."

Arizona's Meteor Crater and other scars leftover from collisions with space rocks continue to serve up their secrets.

Meteor Crater formed some 50,000 years ago. It represents the best preserved meteor impact site in the world, measuring some 700 feet deep (213 meters), more than 4,000 feet across (1,219 meters), and 2.4 miles (3.9 kilometers) in circumference.

Impact features like Meteor Crater continue to be ongoing research sites, generating new data on what happens when objects from the cosmos strike our planet. In fact, a number of competitive grants are being offered to support field research at known or suspected impact sites worldwide. That funding is backing laboratory and computer analysis of research samples and findings, creating new data from digging in on old craters around our globe.

Natural laboratory

A recurring visitor to the crash site is Dan Durda, a research scientist at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Boulder, Colorado.

"Meteor Crater is the best-preserved and exposed impact crater on Earth," Durda tells Space.com. "That makes it the perfect natural laboratory for impact crater studies. The crater is still providing new insights every year, so continued studies there are really important."

Similar in view is Christian Koeberl at the Department of Lithospheric Researchwithin the University of Vienna in Austria. He chairs the Barringer Crater Company (BCC) scientific advisory committee. The Barringer Crater Company has introduced grants to support students and early career researchers who study terrestrial impact craters, for better understanding of these craters and their formations, and also to encourage students to go into such important research directions.

"Barringer Crater — also known as Meteor Crater — was one of the first, if not the first, crater recognized on Earth as being of impact origin in the early 20th century," Koeberl tells Space.com.

The recognition of impact craters on the Earth is difficult, said Koeberl, because active geological and atmospheric processes on our planet tend to obscure or erase the impact record in geologically short time periods.

"Despite limited information about the early impact record we know that impacts had severe effects on the geological and biological evolution on Earth," said Koeberl. For example, a large impact event on Earth marks the transition from the Cretaceous to the Paleogene eras, about 66 million years ago, he added.

The most iconic species that has fallen victim to an impact, the dinosaurs, "literally had no chance," Koeberl said.

Read more: 10 Earth impact craters you must see

High-energy geological event

Morphological and geophysical surveys are important for the recognition of anomalous subsurface structural features, Koeberl said, which may be deeply eroded craters or impact structures entirely covered by post-impact sediments.

"Detailed investigations involve confirmation of either shock metamorphic effects in minerals and rocks, and/or the presence of a meteoritic component in these rocks. In nature, shock metamorphic effects are uniquely characteristic of shock levels associated with hypervelocity impact," Koeberl said.

Impact cratering is a short-time, high-energy geological event in which conditions are created that exceed conditions of nuclear bomb explosions.

These kinds of studies have led to the identification of, so far, of about 200 confirmed impact craters on Earth, Koeberl said. "Impact crater studies have actually grown in importance over the years and are an interdisciplinary effort. We encourage young researchers from all over the world to submit grant proposals," he said.

Barringer Family Fund applications and awards are administered by The Meteoritical Society and are due by April 1.

Ever wanted a slice of the cosmos at home? You can buy genuine meteorite as a keepsake for home. But did you know you can unveil incredible detail that you can't see with the naked eye, too? All it takes is knowing what to look for and what you need to make a successful observation.

I'll take you through the process of identifying and studying a genuine meteorite sample from the comfort of your own home and make personal recommendations for gear that I've found useful for the best results. Want to observe right away? See our step-by-step TL;DR below.

TLDR how to observe a meteorite using a microscope

• Choose the right microscope for the job: A dome loupe or hand lens works well on location, or a stereo microscope is a good option for slice samples and 3D views.
• Light your meteorite from above: The meteorite's opaqueness will stop any light from transmitting through it.
• Different colored stage plates may offer different views: Depending on the color of the stage plate you're using, you will get different views of the texture and colors of your meteorite.
• Check the fusion crust for authenticity: This should be abraded and melted from friction and high temperatures, so it will look softer and more irregular than the inner surface.
• Check if it's magnetic: Meteorites are magnetic, so test for authenticity with a magnet.
• Areas of observation: The fusion crust offers many noticeable observations, such as texture, colors and patterns.
• Top tips for observing meteorites: Research your meteorite first to understand what you might be able to observe and check the sample size matches your microscope.

1. Choosing the right microscope to observe meteorites

If you have access to high-tech laboratory equipment, you would use a microtome to slice extremely thin sections of your meteorite to mount on a slide. However, there are plenty of ways your specimens can be magnified at home so you can investigate the beautiful patterns, colors and textures that make up these interesting space rocks.

For a large meteorite, a dome loupe or hand lens can give you a magnified view of the outer surface. Both are portable, so they can be used on location. However, they are limited to 5x to 10x magnification.

To observe more details, you must obtain a thin-slice sample that fits on a microscope stage. A stereo microscope can provide a three-dimensional image, which is useful for seeing textures, especially on the meteorite's raw edge, the fusion crust. It is also important to illuminate your specimen from above, because the meteorite will be opaque and thus block any light transmission through the specimen.

We used the Celestron Labs S10-60 stereo microscope because it has both features. It also has interchangeable stage plates — black, white and translucent — to enable optimal contrast. This microscope had low magnification, and although this provided a wide field of view, it limited the amount of detail we could see.

Then, we switched to the Swift SW380T, a compound microscope that has high-quality lenses and offers much higher magnification and XY stage navigation. Unfortunately, the SW380T does not have a top light. However, we used a spotlight to illuminate the meteorite from above and successfully observed the specimen at 250x magnification.

2. Setting up your microscope

• Use a working distance of 2.1-inches (54 mm), depending on your sample size
• Light from above using the upper LED
• Swap between the black and white plate under the sample, depending on the feature you want to observe

Setting up the Celestron Labs S10-60 stereo microscope was simple. With a working distance of 2.1-inches (54 mm), it was easily capable of accommodating our 0.04-inch (1 mm) specimen lying flat. We could even use Blue Tack to mount the meteorite upright and observe the fusion crust at a height of 0.6-inch (16 mm).

Illumination needs to be set to come from the upper LED so that light is reflected from above the specimen; it is not possible to transmit light through the opaque matter. We found that the black plate highlighted shiny features and the rusty protuberances on the fusion edge, while the white plate enhanced the darker gray edges. With the 10x eyepiece lenses and the 3x objective lens, the overall magnification of 30x gave a wide field of view and enabled good magnification of a large portion of the specimen.

Setting up the SW380T took a little more work. A small spotlight directed from the side was angled to reflect from the specimen. The 4x and 10x objective lenses were suitable for viewing with this setup. When we switched to a higher magnification, the objective lenses were too long to allow the light to reach the meteorite and reflect through the body tube. To increase the magnification from 100x to 250x, we exchanged the eyepiece lenses from 10x to 25x, which worked well. Unlike the Celestron Labs stereo microscope, the SW380T does not give 3D images. Therefore, you must continually focus up and down to achieve focus at the depths of the thick specimen.

3. How to tell if it's a genuine meteorite

If you're questioning the authenticity of your meteorite, the first thing to look for is the fusion crust. The outer layer of a genuine meteorite would have been abraded and melted when it experienced friction and high temperatures entering the atmosphere. Therefore, in a real meteorite, this outer layer will appear visibly softer and more irregular than the inside structure.

Most meteorites are highly dense and magnetic, so test them with a magnet. Density can be measured by dividing mass by volume. An iron meteorite should have a density of between 7 and 8 grams per cubic centimeter.

Our meteorite came from a reputable supplier with a certificate of authenticity. Meteorite finds will not have this, however, so look for the above features or seek advice from an expert. As a starting point for procuring samples, you may want to consider Aerolite Meteorites, which are members of the International Meteorite Collectors' Association (IMCA).

4. Look for notable observations

With the naked eye, our Muonionalusta meteorite fragment had a silver color and a textured, partially shiny, cut face. It also proved to be magnetic. When observed under the dome loupe, one edge had a more pitted appearance, which was dull and darker in color. This appeared to be the fusion crust.

At 30x magnification, patches of rust were visible, in contrast to the silver metallic matter that formed the majority of the sample. The fusion crust was more irregular than the cut edges.

At 100x magnification, the fusion crust had visible bumps in a variety of shapes and colors. But, because Muonionalusta is unstable, it is susceptible to rusting. The orange surface matter could well have developed in more recent years as the iron-based meteorite has reacted with oxygen to form iron oxide. We could see several gray, rounded surface bulges, as well as some clear strands. At 100x magnification, the Widmanstätten pattern was clear.

The fusion crust nodules became more defined at 250x magnification. A beautiful fissure revealed a pitted texture on the shiny gray material, probably an iron-nickel alloy, with spherical rust growths emerging. A more regularly shaped crystal on the meteorite's surface could have been stishovite, a silicon dioxide compound formed under high pressure. Although it's rare on Earth, stishovite is a tetragonal crystal known to be present in the Muonionalusta meteorite.

5. Other useful tips and tricks for observing meteorites

Research your meteorite before you start your observations so you know what you may find. Is your meteorite iron, stony or stony-iron? Should it have chondrules (round grains found in stony meteorites)? Will it have regmaglypts (thumbprint dimples on the surface)?

Make sure you have the right sized sample for your microscope. A compound microscope needs a very thin slither — a few micrometers — or it must be illuminated from above. For specimens of a few centimeters, a stereo microscope is suitable.

Try searching for your own micrometeorites by collecting particulates from roofs or drain spouts. Use a magnet to see if any particles are attracted, and discard nonmagnetic ones. Use your microscope to identify any rounded, shiny ones — perhaps with a pitted surface — or signs of a melted outer surface. If so, you may have found a micrometeorite.

What is a meteorite?

A meteorite is a piece of inorganic space matter that has entered our planet’s atmosphere and landed on Earth. Meteorite samples give scientists an insight into how our solar system has evolved, help to map out the history of our universe and make predictions about future events. On a personal level, we get the opportunity to observe materials and patterns that are otherwise unavailable on Earth. You may be used to viewing the night sky through one of the best telescopes or best binoculars, but enjoying the view of a meteorite through a microscope takes you much closer to the wonders of the universe.

To identify good microscope features and enable finer observations of meteorites, we used an authentic slice of the Muonionalusta meteorite. Our sample was found in Norrbotten, Sweden, in 1906. You can find out more about how to tell if you've found a genuine meteorite in our How to tell if it's a genuine meteorite section.

Muonionalusta is an iron meteorite with iron-nickel alloys and traces of gallium, germanium and iridium, and its body displays the striking Widmanstätten pattern. Our sample had a raw edge that displayed the fusion crust, which formed when the outer surface melted as the meteorite entered Earth's atmosphere. Small stishovite crystals were present.

We chose a low-magnification stereo microscope with a top light because the opaque meteorite would have blocked the transmission of a lower-light source and condenser, and because it provided three-dimensional images. Although a number of high-magnification microscopes include a top light, we chose to adapt a simple light microscope to illustrate how you could observe a meteorite at home, no matter what type of microscope you have.

A meteorite has crashed through the roof of a house in the city of Koblenz in the west of Germany after a spectacular fireball lit up the night sky above western Europe on Sunday evening, March 8.

More than 2,800 sightings of the fireball have been reported to the International Meteor Organization (IMO), with dozens of video recordings having been uploaded on social media. Witnesses reported hearing multiple explosions as the space rock disintegrated in the atmosphere, showering fragments across the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

According to available reports, multiple fragments of the meteorite have already been found in Koblenz's Güls district, which will allow researchers to determine where the meteorite came from. Although damage to multiple houses has been reported by German media, no one has been injured in the incident. The largest discovered fragment reportedly pierced a hole the size of a soccer ball into one of the roofs.

Observers from France, Belgium and the Netherlands have also reported the sighting.

"A meteor just decomposed in front of my eyes," one user shared on X, together with an image showing a white smoky streak on the darkening sky.

Images of alleged meteorite fragments were published by the German Bild newspaper on Monday morning, March 9.

Millions of space rock fragments cross Earth's path every year. Most of those space rocks evaporate in the atmosphere during the fiery entry. On a clear night, several meteors streak across the sky in an hour.

Around 10,000 meteorites impact Earth's surface every year, but only a few hundred of those are recovered, most ending their lives at the bottom of the world's oceans.

Residents of several Midwestern U.S. states were treated to a dramatic natural light show in the early hours of Feb. 10, when a fireball meteor made a fiery descent, brightening the winter sky before appearing to disintegrate as it neared the horizon.

The meteor's fiery passage generated over 120 reports on the American Meteor Society website from skywatchers in Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, some of whom captured its 48-mile (77 kilometer) journey on security cameras, dashcams and in the footage of smart doorbells.

The meteor was first spotted at 11:32 p.m. EST on Feb. 10 (0432 GMT on Feb. 11) as it streaked Earthward above the town of Trinity in Indiana while travelling at a blistering speed of roughly 29,000 miles per hour (46,670 kilometers per hour). The fireball flared repeatedly before finally appearing to break apart 27 miles (43 km) above Dayton, Ohio, per a NASA report.

Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society notes the possibility that the fireball is likely sporadic in nature, meaning that it doesn't belong to any specific shower or radiant group. "As for the possibility of this fireball producing meteorites, we look for reports that mention sounds associated with the event," Lunsford told Space.com in an email. "These are usually delayed sonic booms. Out of all these reports, none mention the fact that they heard sounds associated with this fireball. Therefore, it is most likely that this fireball completely disintegrated while still high in the atmosphere."

Meteors become visible when tiny shards of comets or asteroids known as meteoroids collide with Earth's atmosphere while travelling at tens of thousands of miles per hour, compressing the air in their paths and causing it to glow.

Larger chunks of debris — which can range in size from a baseball to an SUV and beyond — create dazzling fireballs as they plough through the atmosphere, which are bright enough to outshine the brightest planets in the night sky. The relatively slow speed of the fireball led NASA to conclude that the object meteoroid that spawned it was likely once part of a larger asteroid — rather than a faster moving comet — which subsequently fractured into smaller pieces.

Feeling inspired to snap your own meteor imagery? Then be sure to read our guide detailing how to photograph shooting stars and to check out our roundups of the best camera bodies and lenses for capturing the night sky!

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Your first major opportunity to spot shooting stars and bright fireballs in 2026 arrives overnight tonight with the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower, though only the brightest members may be visible, as the annual event crescendos in the bright light of a full moon.

The Quadrantid meteor shower is active from Dec. 26, 2025 to Jan. 16, 2026, with a narrow peak lasting roughly six hours that unfolds in the period preceding dawn on Jan. 4, according to EarthSky.org. The shower owes its brief peak to the near-perpendicular angle at which Earth smashes through the thin debris trail left by asteroid 2003 EH1. Shooting stars appear when shards of ancient comets and asteroids collide with Earth, burning up in a fiery display as they are overwhelmed by friction.

Quadrantid meteor showers are capable of producing impressive displays, with up to 200 shooting stars visible each hour under dark sky conditions around the peak. Unfortunately, the 2025-6 shower comes to a head in the light of a full moon, whose glare will wash out all but the brightest meteors. NASA predicts an hourly rate of just 10 meteors per hour on the night of the peak. The January full moon is often called the "Wolf Moon", in reference to the predators that have been heard howling at Earth's satellite during the scarcity of winter.

Meteors associated with the Quadrantid shower appear to come from a patch of sky close to the "handle" of the famous Big Dipper asterism in the constellation Ursa Major — a circumpolar constellation that never sets for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere. As such, the shower is best viewed from locations north of 51 degrees latitude.

The shower gets its name from a constellation created by French astronomer Jerome Lalande in 1795, known as Quadrans Muralis, which occupies this space near the Big Dipper, according to NASA. The constellation, however, was not chosen as one of the 88 constellations formally recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

The radiant will rest low on the northern horizon after sunset, but soars high overhead during the pre-dawn peak-viewing hours. Quadrantid meteors can appear in any part of the sky, though it's best not to look exactly in the direction of the radiant, where the trails will be at their shortest.

Hoping to immortalize your view of the Quadrantids? Then be sure to check out our guide to photographing shooting stars and if you're looking to upgrade your equipment, see our picks of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography. .

Editor's Note: If you capture an image of a Quadrantid meteor and want to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Early each January, the Quadrantid meteor stream provides one of the most intense annual meteor displays, with a brief, sharp maximum that lasts only a few hours.

The meteors of this first shower of the year radiate from the northeast corner of the constellation of Boötes, the Herdsman, so we might expect them to be called the "Boötids." But back in the late-18th century, there was a constellation here called Quadrans Muralis, the "Mural or Wall Quadrant" (an astronomical instrument). It is one of the many constellation names that have fallen into disuse. Thus, the meteors were christened "Quadrantids" and even though the constellation from which these meteors appear to radiate no longer exists, the shower's original moniker continues to this day.

Crumbs of a dead comet?

At peak activity, 60 to 120 Quadrantid meteors per hour can be seen under ideal conditions. However, the influx is sharply peaked: just six hours before and after maximum, these blue meteors appear at only half of their highest rates. This suggests that the stream of particles is relatively narrow — possibly derived fairly recently from a small comet.

In fact, in 2003, astronomer Peter Jenniskens of NASA, found a near-Earth asteroid (2003 EH1), whose orbit closely matches that of the Quadrantid stream. Some astronomers suspect that this asteroid is actually a fragment of an old, "extinct" comet; perhaps the same comet that was recorded by Chinese, Korean, and Japanese observers during the years 1490-91. If so, that comet may have broken apart, with some of its debris becoming the meteoroids that now produce the Quadrantids.

2026: A poor year

Unfortunately, 2026 will not be a good year to look for the "Quads." Chalk it up to poor timing.

First, the peak of this year's shower, according to Margaret Campbell-Brown and Peter Brown in the 2026 Observer's Handbook of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, is predicted for 5 p.m. EST on Jan. 3. That places the maximum during daylight hours for much of North America. But even if the peak were to occur at night, there is an even greater problem.

For on that very same day, the moon will turn full.

As a result, throughout the overnight hours of Saturday, Jan. 3, into Sunday, Jan. 4, the sky will be flooded with brilliant moonlight. The moon will remain above the horizon all night, located in the constellation of Gemini the Twins and not far from the planet Jupiter. That moonlight will squelch all but the very brightest of meteors.

Ordinarily, the Quadrantids are best seen just before dawn — around 6 a.m. local time — when the radiant, the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to emanate, is climbing higher into the northeastern sky.

If you do decide to head out to look for meteors, remember to bundle up! It is, after all, wintertime. And if you can't find someone who would care to share the viewing duties with you, a thermos jug of your favorite hot beverage — coffee, tea or cocoa — makes for a fine companion on a cold night.

Two years from now, we could have a winner!

But as bad as it is for the Quadrantids this year, it will be a very different story in 2028.

That year, the peak of the shower is set for 5 a.m. EST on Jan. 4, which especially favors eastern North America. And the moon will be at a much more favorable phase: a fat waxing crescent, which will not be in the predawn sky at all and will thus be of absolutely no hindrance to meteor viewing compared to this year. Given clear skies, the "Quads" could turn out to be one of the best meteor displays of 2028.

Mark your calendars!

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, Sky and Telescope and other publications.

Don't miss the Ursid meteor shower peak tonight, heralding the last major shooting star display of 2025 as Earth plows through the debris trail shed by comet 8P/Tuttle.

The Ursid meteor shower is active during a relatively short window from Dec. 17 to Dec. 26, with peak activity expected overnight on Dec. 21-22, when up to 10 shooting stars may be visible each hour under dark skies, according to the American Meteor Society.

Shooting stars associated with the shower will appear to originate from a patch of sky close to the bright star Kochab in the constellation Ursa Minor, which can be found above the northern horizon throughout December. Ursa Minor, or the "Little Bear", is a circumpolar constellation. As such, it never sets from the perspective of viewers in the northern hemisphere and instead appears to spin around its brightest member — Polaris, the North Star.

How to spot Ursid meteors

The best time to hunt for Ursid meteors is from the evening of Dec. 21 straight through to dawn on Dec. 22. The shower's peak occurs just two days after December's new moon phase, which means that you'll have near pristine skies in which to hunt for shooting stars.

First, locate Kochab in the northern sky using a handy skywatching smartphone app. Next, find a patch of sky 40 degrees above the bright star in the direction of your local zenith (the point above your head). Here, the meteor trails will be at their longest. Remember, the width of your fist accounts for roughly 10 degrees of sky! So simply stack four "fists" on top of Kochab to find your ideal meteor hunting site.

The Ursid meteor shower coincides with the date of the winter solstice — the point when Earth's axis is tilted furthest from the sun, granting the northern hemisphere the longest night of the year. Be sure to wrap up warm to combat the late autumn cold and to allow up to 30 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust to the dark — this will help you spot the faintest meteors in the near-pristinely dark December sky.

Hoping to immortalize your view of the Ursid meteor shower? Then be sure to read our guide to imaging shooting stars and to check out our picks of the best cameras and lenses for capturing the majesty of the night sky.

Editor's Note: If you capture an image of an Ursid meteor and want to share it with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

The Geminid meteor shower put on a dazzling cosmic firework show when it peaked overnight on Dec. 13 as shards of the solar system asteroid (3200) Phaethon collided with Earth's atmosphere, forging fiery paths that illuminated the December night sky.

Geminid meteors appear to streak through the sky travelling away from the constellation Gemini, which plays host to the gas giant Jupiter throughout December. Photographers were able to capture striking views as shooting stars raced across the starfields of sparkling Northern Hemisphere constellations including Taurus and Orion, as the jewel-like stars of the Pleiades open cluster glowed nearby.

Read on to see a selection of gorgeous images revealing the splendour of the 2025 Geminid meteor shower as seen through the lenses of talented astrophotographers from around the world.

Want to capture your own images of shooting stars? Then be sure to check out our guide to photographing meteor showers, along with our picks of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography to ensure that you'll be ready for the next big skywatching event.

The 2025 Geminid meteor shower in pictures

Photographer Tayfun Coskun captured a stunning shot of a Geminid streaking through the starry sky above the Yosemite National Park in California on Dec. 14, as the Hyades and Pleiades open star clusters shone above a glowing tunnel embedded in the tree-lined hillside.

Coskun was able to grab another view of a shooting star running parallel to the dense starfield of the Milky Way that same night, while also capturing the ancient light of the Andromeda Galaxy close to a tree near the silhouetted horizon. Two dense collections of stars known as the Perseus Double Cluster are also visible in the center of the shot, representing a population of stars that are far younger and hotter than the sun.

This shot of a Geminid blazing a trail below the three stars of Orion's Belt was captured on Dec. 13 in the skies over the Shandong province of China, a moment before it pierced the glowing patch of light representing the Orion Nebula — one of the closest stellar nurseries to Earth.

A meteor was also captured brightening the sky over the snowy landscape of Ulanqab, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, on that same night.

Photographer Fu Yujianglin immortalized a different shooting star as it speared Earthwards through the night sky, towards the snow-peaked mountains of the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, China.

Storm photographer and X user LoriGraceWX captured another spectacular meteor image as a shooting star tore through the sky over the Organ Mountains in New Mexico using a 24 mm lens.

Wouter van Bernebeek, meanwhile, took a breathtaking composite image from an altitude of 1,140 meters (3,740 feet) atop the Brocken Mountain in Germany, as shooting stars brightened the night sky alongside the glowing band of the Milky Way.

Photographer Matt Lantz combined 9 separate shots to reveal Geminid meteors streaking away from Jupiter and the bright stars Castor and Pollux in the sky above a picturesque church near Seymour, Texas, on the night of the peak.

Finally, northern lights chaser Jeremy Rand captured several Geminid shooting stars as they raced through the constellation Orion, which rested approximately 40 degrees away from the shower's radiant, where meteor trails were at their longest.

Feeling inspired to explore the night sky? Then why not browse our picks of the best telescopes and binoculars for imaging the night sky and be sure to check out our guide featuring expert advice for new stargazers if you're taking the first steps in your astronomy journey this winter!

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your meteor photos with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

When skywatchers think of meteor showers in December, they immediately think of the Geminids, which over the years have evolved into the most prolific and reliable of the dozen or so annual meteor displays that occur. And yet, there is also another notable meteor shower that occurs during December that, in contrast, hardly gets much notice at all: The December Ursids. The peak of this meteor display usually occurs during the overnight hours of Dec. 21-22.

The Ursids are so named because they appear to fan out from the vicinity of the bright orange star Kochab, in the constellation of Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. Kochab is the brighter of the two outer stars in the bowl of the Little Dipper (the other being Pherkad), which seem to march in a circle like sentries around Polaris, the North Star.

Ursid meteors are sometimes called the Umids, in a rather unsuccessful attempt to make clear that their radiant is in Ursa Minor, not Ursa Major.

Where to spot Ursids

The fact that Kochab is positioned so near the north pole of the sky means that it never sets for most viewers in the Northern Hemisphere. And since the Ursids seem to fan out from this particular region of the sky, it means that you can look for these faint, medium-speed meteors all through the night if you care to. The news is good at least so far as trying to catch of view of them this year, since the new moon is on Dec. 19, assuring dark skies.

These meteors are best seen during the last dark hour before dawn, when the radiant lies highest above the horizon in a dark sky. On the morning of maximum, hourly rates of between 5-10 Ursids may be seen. Plunging through the Earth's atmosphere at 22 miles (35 km) per second, the Ursids produce mostly medium-speed meteors. Very little activity will be seen away from the night of maximum activity.

Historical outbursts

Indeed, the Ursids are a very poorly-observed Northern Hemisphere shower which has produced at least two major outbursts in the past 70 years, in 1945 and 1986. Some events could have been missed due to weather conditions. Several lesser rate enhancements have been reported from 2006 to 2008, and in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020, which might have been influenced by the relative proximity of the shower's parent comet, 8P/Tuttle, which circles the sun in a 13.6-year orbit and most recently swept past the sun in August 2021. And for some still unexplained reason, many Ursid peaks have occurred when comet Tuttle was not sweeping through the inner solar system, but rather at the far end of its orbit (aphelion), as far away from the sun as it can ge,t indicating that predictions are difficult.

Enhanced activity?

No unusually strong activity has been forecasted for 2025. However, a Dutch American meteor calculator, Peter Jenniskens, lists an encounter with a dense filament of meteoric material on Dec. 22, at 12:39 a.m. EST. An hourly rate of 25 listed by Jenniskens is similar to values indicated by him for the 2021—24 returns, although no such enhancements were reported by observers in those years. French meteor expert Jérémie Vaubaillon has performed calculations using computer simulations that show that the densest section of the stream is in the vicinity of the Earth on Dec. 22 at around 5:00 a.m. EST, but with no pronounced peak.

Still, if you're up before dawn breaks that morning, and if your skies are clear, you might want to step outside and check the northern sky. December's nearly new moon gives a perfect chance to end the year on a positive note, if skies are clear enough to see what the Ursids may do this time.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, Sky and Telescope and other publications.