tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/meteor-shower-10001/articlesMeteor shower – The Conversation2023-12-10T19:07:28Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2189232023-12-10T19:07:28Z2023-12-10T19:07:28ZThe Geminids: the year’s best meteor shower is upon us. And this one will be a true spectacle<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564090/original/file-20231207-15-r36j4w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=125%2C26%2C5865%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As an astronomer and meteor enthusiast, I’d say it’s the most wonderful time of the year.</p>
<p>Each December sees the return of the Geminid meteor shower – the best natural fireworks display of the year - and people the world over head out to enjoy the show. This year promises to be extra special as the peak of the Geminids falls at new Moon.</p>
<p>The result? The night sky will be beautifully dark from the moment the Geminids first become visible, in the mid-to-late evening, right up until the light of dawn brightens the horizon. And the darker the sky, the better the show.</p>
<h2>An appointment with shards of a ‘rock comet’</h2>
<p>Each grain of dust that impacts Earth’s atmosphere produces a meteor, burning bright above 80 kilometres high. The bigger or faster the grain, the brighter the resulting flash.</p>
<p>As Earth makes its way around the Sun, it continually passes through streams of dust and debris left behind by asteroids and comets. When it runs into these meteor streams the amount of dust entering the atmosphere increases, and a meteor shower is born.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">Explainer: why meteors light up the night sky</a>
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<p>Every year in December, Earth passes through a stream of debris left behind by an asteroid called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3200_Phaethon">(3200) Phaethon</a>. </p>
<p>Phaethon is an unusual object. It moves on a <a href="https://theskylive.com/phaethon-info">highly elongated orbit</a> that takes it much closer to the Sun than Mercury and farther away than Mars. As a result it is alternately baked and frozen – its surface shattering, <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2041-8205/771/2/L36/pdf">spewing dust into space</a>.</p>
<p>The dust left behind has spread all around Phaethon’s orbit. Whenever Earth reaches a certain part of the orbit, it passes through the resulting tube of debris, giving birth to the Geminid meteor shower.</p>
<p>It takes Earth several weeks to pass through the debris left behind by Phaethon. For most of that period the Geminids remain a minor event. However, for two or three nights around mid-December, we pass through the densest part of the stream.</p>
<p>From the northern hemisphere, the Geminids produce more than 100 meteors per hour at their best. While the view from Australia isn’t quite as good, a keen-eyed observer can still see more than 50 meteors per hour at the peak – the most spectacular show of the year.</p>
<h2>The best time to watch</h2>
<p>A meteor shower can only be seen when the part of Earth you’re standing on is facing the stream. That means for the Geminids you won’t see any meteors until the constellation Gemini rises from your location. </p>
<p>The farther north you are, the earlier in the evening the “radiant” will rise. This is the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to radiate. The higher in the sky the radiant is, the further into the stream you’re facing and the more meteors you’ll see.</p>
<p>The best rates will come when the radiant is at its highest, which occurs when it’s due north. The table below indicates the time the radiant will rise on the evening of December 14, and when it will be at its highest (culmination) for all major cities in the early hours of December 15.</p>
<p>The “peak rate” is an estimate of how many meteors you might see in the hour the radiant is at its highest, assuming you have perfect eyesight and a dark, crystal-clear sky. Factors such as light pollution, imperfect eyesight and cloud cover will affect this. </p>
<iframe title="Details of the Geminids on the night of 14–15 December" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-hgx4L" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/hgx4L/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="441" data-external="1" width="100%"></iframe>
<p>The most meteors will be visible during the four-hour period centred on the culmination of the radiant. The more time passes from the culmination, the fewer meteors you’ll see.</p>
<p>That said, you still stand a chance of seeing some Geminids any time the radiant is above the horizon – with respectable rates as early as one hour after the radiant rises.</p>
<h2>Where should I look?</h2>
<p>While Geminid meteors can appear anywhere in the night sky, you can always trace their movement back to the radiant in the constellation Gemini.</p>
<p>If you look directly at the radiant, you’ll see the meteors almost head-on; if you look away from it, you’ll see them entering the atmosphere above you, rushing to the horizon.</p>
<p>From experience, we’ve found the best way to spot meteors is to find and face the radiant, and then turn so you’re looking at a spot about 45 degrees to the radiant’s left or right. </p>
<p>What does this mean? In the few hours after the radiant rises, it will be in the northeastern part of the sky, so you’d be best served looking to the north or the east (45 degrees to the left or right of the radiant). </p>
<p>When the radiant is at its highest, it’ll be due north – so the best view for the shower will be to the northeast or northwest. Finally, as you move towards dawn, the radiant will be in the northwest, so you’d want to look to the west or north.</p>
<p>Ideally, you want to be looking up at about a 45 degree angle from the ground. Lying down is best, and standing is a sure recipe for a sore neck! Whether you look left or right is up to you, but we’d suggest looking at whichever side has a darker sky (less light pollution).</p>
<h2>Location is key</h2>
<p>The Geminids are a fantastic treat – and like most treats they’re more fun when shared! For the best experience, grab your friends or loved ones and head out somewhere nice and dark. </p>
<p>With summer in full swing in Australia, it may be the perfect time to take a camping trip. To find an ideal viewing spot, check out this <a href="https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/">amazing map</a> of Australia’s most (and least) light-polluted locations.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218923/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Geminids meteor shower this year promises to be extra special as the peak of the falls at New Moon.Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria and Honorary Fellow at University of Melbourne, Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2159132023-10-20T15:54:22Z2023-10-20T15:54:22ZHow to watch October’s Orionids meteor shower and contemplate the wonders of the sky<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555005/original/file-20231020-17-bq3p8g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C0%2C3964%2C2377&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Orionids meteor shower takes place between October and November.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/2016-orionids-meteor-shower-1024802635">Brian Spencer / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Throughout the year, there are different meteor showers that all have different properties and can be more or less easy to spot. </p>
<p>During October, it’s <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/orionid-meteor-shower-2023-when-where-see-it-uk">time for the Orionids</a>, one of the best known meteor showers and also the most reliable. This is also an amazing opportunity to venture outside, observe them yourself and find out what makes them so special.</p>
<p>Shooting stars aren’t actually stars, but are caused by meteoroids. These are essentially rocks travelling in space. They can be similar in size to small pebbles and sand or, in rarer cases, bigger objects. </p>
<p>As our Earth moves through its orbit around the Sun, it can run into these objects by chance. There is a lot of this material hitting Earth: <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/facts/">approximately 48 tonnes per day</a>.</p>
<p>As the particles enter our atmosphere, they become meteors. The Orionids have an <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/orionids/">average speed of about 61 km/s</a>. The interaction with our atmosphere causes them to burn up at high altitude, cause bright streaks in the sky visible for a short time. </p>
<h2>Where are they from?</h2>
<p>Meteor showers, though, are not random encounters with meteoroids. Earth sometimes passes through denser regions of space debris left behind by comets as they travel around the Sun. </p>
<p>Comets are dirty snowballs made of loose material that is held together by frozen gases. When the Earth encounters comet debris, meteors can streak through the sky, putting on a spectacular display.</p>
<p>Each meteor shower is linked to a specific comet. The Orionids are of interest, not because there are lots of meteors, but because they are linked to Halley’s comet. This comet was <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/1p-halley/">the first to be recognised as periodic</a> – those with orbital periods around the Sun of less than 200 years. </p>
<p>Halley completes an orbit every 75 years. You might have missed it when it was close to us in 1986, but you can still see its trail through the Orionids.</p>
<p>When Halley gets close to the Sun, its ice turns to gas, leaving behind a trail of loose rubble. As Earth passes through this, we encounter the Orionids meteor shower.</p>
<p>Meteor showers are easy to enjoy as no specialist equipment is required. But we must practice patience and hope for good weather. Here ere are some tips to ensure your skywatching is successful.</p>
<h2>Timing</h2>
<p>Make sure to pick the right time. There are at least a <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/meteor-shower-guide">dozen meteor showers throughout the year</a> worth catching. They are named after constellations, indicating from which direction the meteors enter our atmosphere.</p>
<p>If you notice the streaks over a night, they will all seemingly radiate from one specific point in the sky (the radiant). For the Orionids that lies in the constellation of Orion, just towards the top left of its shoulder, which is marked by the star Betelgeuse. When you’ve decided on a date, the most promising time of night is usually the second half.</p>
<p>The Orionids start at the beginning of October and end at the beginning of November. On 21-22 October 2023, they reach a peak – when the highest meteor rates are expected. </p>
<p>For the Orionids, you can see an average of <a href="https://astronomynow.com/2022/10/19/watch-the-orionid-meteor-shower-peak-on-friday-night/">40-70 meteors per hour</a>. If you miss the peak, you will still be able to catch them, you just won’t see as many.</p>
<p>The Moon can make things tricky. A bright moonlit sky really does not help. So the best times are when the Moon is below the horizon or there’s a lunar phase that is not that bright. This year, the Moon is 37% illuminated during the Orionids peak, making conditions good but not ideal.</p>
<h2>Location</h2>
<p>Light is your enemy. Even if the Moon isn’t shining, you need to avoid bright lights. Find a spot that is not directly illuminated, but where you feel safe. </p>
<p>You can work with <a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/light-pollution/">light pollution</a> in general if it is not too extensive. But the darker the sky is, the better the chances of seeing meteors. </p>
<p>Furthermore, a good view of the sky is required. That does not just mean looking towards the radiant, since meteors will streak across the entire sky. </p>
<p>Make sure you can see as much sky as possible. It might also be worth bringing a deck chair to lie back comfortably.</p>
<h2>Patience</h2>
<p>To fully appreciate the darkness of the sky and spot even the fainter meteors, you have to ensure your eyes are adjusted to dark conditions. This takes 20 to 30 minutes and cannot be rushed. </p>
<p>Stepping into your garden for a quick glimpse doesn’t work. You should wrap up warm and take something hot to drink with you to keep you going.</p>
<p>Remember that you can spoil your eyes’ adaptation to the dark by switching on a bright white light source. If you need light, cover your torch with a red filter. You will be surprised how much you can actually see at night by giving your eyes time to adapt.</p>
<p>The rates that are quoted for meteor showers (40-70 meteors per hour for the Orionids) are averages. They also refer to the darkest possible sky and assume the radiant is exactly above your head.</p>
<h2>Sky watching</h2>
<p>Meteor watching is an amazing activity for everyone and does not require specialised equipment. It engages you with the Universe and requires you to step out of your hectic routine, slow down and actually watch the night sky.</p>
<p>This act of calmness and awareness of your surroundings gives you the perfect environment to reflect upon your life and the universe, especially when thinking about how these meteors actually are parts of Halley’s comet and formed the building block of what we now call our solar system.</p>
<p>The Orionids are a unique opportunity to be inspired to skywatch and reconnect with the sky. So head out there and explore.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215913/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Brown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The meteor shower happens when Earth passes through debris from Halley’s comet.Daniel Brown, Lecturer in Astronomy, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2079692023-07-05T12:22:40Z2023-07-05T12:22:40ZAstro-tourism − chasing eclipses, meteor showers and elusive dark skies from Earth<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534389/original/file-20230627-23-gjawwc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2460%2C1215&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">On April 8, 2024, much of the eastern United States will fall in the path of a total solar eclipse, like the one pictured. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/total-solar-eclipse-and-monument-valley-at-sunrise-royalty-free-image/128311871?phrase=eclipse">Diane Miller/The Image Bank via Getty images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For years, small groups of astronomy enthusiasts have traveled the globe chasing the rare solar eclipse. They have embarked on <a href="https://pbcruise.com/news/3989">cruises</a> to the middle of the ocean, taken <a href="https://www.livescience.com/60229-how-to-calculate-where-eclipse-airplane-intersect.html">flights</a> into the eclipse’s path and even traveled to <a href="https://www.space.com/total-solar-eclipse-2021-over-antarctica-video">Antarctica</a>. </p>
<p>In August 2017, millions across the U.S. witnessed a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/08/27/546109041/eclipse-2017-one-nation-under-the-sun">total solar eclipse</a> visible from Oregon to South Carolina, with a partial eclipse visible to the rest of the continental U.S. On April 8, 2024, millions of Americans will once again be in the path of <a href="https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com">a total solar eclipse</a>, this one’s path extending from Mexico to eastern Canada.</p>
<p>The April 2024 eclipse’s path of totality will <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/">cross a number of U.S. cities</a>, including Austin and Dallas in Texas, Indianapolis in Indiana, Cleveland and Dayton in Ohio, Erie in Pennsylvania, and Buffalo and Rochester in New York. The eclipse will begin in Texas around 2:30 Eastern time and end in Maine around 4:30 Eastern.</p>
<p>But astro-tourism – traveling to national parks, observatories or other natural, dark-sky locations to view astronomical events – isn’t limited to chasing eclipses.</p>
<p>According to a recent study, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/milky-way-space-science">80% of Americans</a> and <a href="https://www.astronomy.com/science/one-third-of-humanity-cant-see-the-milky-way/">one-third of the planet’s population</a> can no longer see the Milky Way from their homes <a href="https://cires.colorado.edu/artificial-sky">because of light pollution</a>. As a consequence, most people have to travel to witness meteor showers and other common astronomical events. </p>
<p><a href="https://dornsife.usc.edu/profile/vahe-peroomian/">I am a space scientist</a> with a passion for teaching physics and astronomy and photographing the night sky. Every summer I spend several nights backpacking in the Sierra Nevada of California, where the skies are sufficiently dark to allow the Milky Way to be seen with the naked eye. My son and I also like to take road trips – often along U.S. Route 395, the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway – that coincide with eclipses and meteor showers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A lake under snow-speckled mountains, with lots of stars visible in the night sky." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533047/original/file-20230621-27-fg3o9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533047/original/file-20230621-27-fg3o9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533047/original/file-20230621-27-fg3o9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533047/original/file-20230621-27-fg3o9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533047/original/file-20230621-27-fg3o9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533047/original/file-20230621-27-fg3o9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533047/original/file-20230621-27-fg3o9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Natural locations, removed from city light, can be great places for astro-tourism.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Vahe Peroomian</span></span>
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<h2>Can’t-miss astronomical events</h2>
<p>There are two types of eclipses. <a href="https://moon.nasa.gov/moon-in-motion/phases-eclipses-supermoons/eclipses/">Lunar eclipses</a> occur when the full moon passes through Earth’s shadow. <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/home/">Solar eclipses</a> occur when the new moon briefly blocks the Sun. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534606/original/file-20230628-19-7l230z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A diagram showing the Moon's orbit around the sun, with the Moon's two orbital nodes marked, and its orbital plane's 5 degree tilt noted." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534606/original/file-20230628-19-7l230z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534606/original/file-20230628-19-7l230z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534606/original/file-20230628-19-7l230z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534606/original/file-20230628-19-7l230z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534606/original/file-20230628-19-7l230z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534606/original/file-20230628-19-7l230z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534606/original/file-20230628-19-7l230z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Eclipses may occur one after another if the Moon’s nodes align with the Sun.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eclipse_vs_new_or_full_moons,_annotated.svg">Nela (nyabla.net)/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are three types of solar eclipses. During a total eclipse, the Moon completely covers the Sun, with totality lasting as long as seven minutes. During totality, those in the path of the eclipse will see the Sun’s <a href="https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/sun-corona">corona</a>, or its outer atmosphere, behind the Moon’s silhouette. </p>
<p>The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is an ellipse, so the Moon can appear to be 15% smaller when it’s at its farthest point from Earth, its apogee, compared with its size when it is at its closest point to Earth, its perigee. An <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/about-eclipses/types/">annular eclipse</a> occurs when the Moon doesn’t cover the entire disk of the Sun, leaving a ring of sunlight around the Moon.</p>
<p>Finally, a <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/about-eclipses/types/">partial eclipse</a> occurs when the Moon blocks only a part of the Sun’s disk, as the name implies. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534387/original/file-20230627-7269-yw2py4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three eclipse images: in the first the sun is entirely blocked, with shadowy light visible from behind the Moon. Second shows the sun mostly blocked, with a thin ring visible behind the Moon. Third shows the sun partially blocked" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534387/original/file-20230627-7269-yw2py4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534387/original/file-20230627-7269-yw2py4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534387/original/file-20230627-7269-yw2py4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534387/original/file-20230627-7269-yw2py4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534387/original/file-20230627-7269-yw2py4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=252&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534387/original/file-20230627-7269-yw2py4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=252&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534387/original/file-20230627-7269-yw2py4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=252&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From left to right: total, annular and partial solar eclipses.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/about-eclipses/types/">Credits: Total eclipse, left: NASA/MSFC/Joseph Matus; annular eclipse, center: NASA/Bill Dunford; partial eclipse, right: NASA/Bill Ingalls</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Meteor showers are a far more common astronomical event than eclipses, and they are visible from any dark-sky location on Earth. Meteor showers occur when Earth’s orbit around the Sun takes it through the dust <a href="https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/">left behind by a comet</a>. The Earth sweeps up the dust like a car speeding through a cloud of insects on the highway. </p>
<p>Meteor showers are named for the constellations from which the meteors <a href="https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/">seem to emanate</a>, though it’s not necessary to stare in that direction to see meteors. The most prominent meteor showers, occurring on approximately the same dates every year, are the <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/lyrids/in-depth/">Lyrids</a>, named for the constellation Lyra, on April 21-22; the <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/perseids/in-depth/">Perseids</a>, named for the constellation Perseus and peaking on the night of Aug. 12-13; and the <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/geminids/in-depth/">Geminids</a>, named for the constellation Gemini, on Dec. 14-15. The night sky will be mostly <a href="https://www.space.com/39469-best-meteor-showers.html">moonless</a> for the first two this year, but a nearly full moon will make the Lyrid shower of 2024 difficult to see.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534918/original/file-20230629-27-bra2st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Photo showing a dark sky with several bright streaks representing meteors." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534918/original/file-20230629-27-bra2st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534918/original/file-20230629-27-bra2st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534918/original/file-20230629-27-bra2st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534918/original/file-20230629-27-bra2st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534918/original/file-20230629-27-bra2st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=637&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534918/original/file-20230629-27-bra2st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=637&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534918/original/file-20230629-27-bra2st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=637&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Meteor showers happen around the same time each year, and on cloudless nights they can be stunning to watch.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/609979986/photo/geminids-meteor-shower.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=ytVX2F9x81UHjwH18tAU0kS8uZGzpSJBJQz0tF1Fdp4=">Haitong Yu/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Tips for aspiring astro-tourists</h2>
<p>One of the most important factors to consider when planning an outing to stargaze or to watch a meteor shower is the phase of the Moon. The full moon rises at about 6 p.m. and sets at 6 a.m., making stargazing all but impossible because of its brightness. For ideal stargazing conditions, the Moon should be below the horizon, and the best viewing conditions are during a new moon. You can use a <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/">moonrise/moonset calculator</a> to determine the phase of the Moon and its rise and set times for any location on Earth. </p>
<p>Another important factor is weather. Amateur astronomers always joke that the sky is cloudy during the most interesting astronomical events. For example, most major cities in the U.S. that are in the path of the April 2024 eclipse have had cloudy skies on April 8 <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2024-april-8">60% of the time</a> since the year 2000. </p>
<p>Most Americans live in heavily light-polluted areas. A light pollution map such as <a href="https://www.lightpollutionmap.info">lightpollutionmap.info</a> can help identify the nearest dark-sky location, which, in my case, is hours away. These maps often use the <a href="https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-resources/light-pollution-and-astronomy-the-bortle-dark-sky-scale/">Bortle dark-sky scale</a>, which reports 1 for extremely dark skies to 9 for highly light-polluted city centers. </p>
<p>Though you may still see the brightest meteors from city suburbs, the darker your sky, the more meteors you’ll see. In general, expect to see <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/perseids/in-depth/">fewer than 25 meteors per hour</a>. To see the complex structure of the Milky Way with the naked eye, look for a location with a Bortle index of 3 or below. </p>
<p>It’s important to arrive at your chosen site early, preferably during daylight hours. Stumbling around in the dark at an unfamiliar site is a recipe for disaster and may also disturb others who are already at the site. Arriving early also gives time for your eyes to adapt to the dark as night falls, as it typically takes <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-my-eyes-adjust-to-the-dark-and-how-long-does-it-take-124044">30 minutes</a> or even longer for your eyes to reach their full dark-adapted potential.</p>
<p>Make sure to carry a headlamp or flashlight that has a red light setting, as red light <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/dark-adaptation-of-the-human-eye-and-the-value-of-red-flashlights.htm">doesn’t ruin night vision</a>. Avoid using your phone, as even a glance at the screen can ruin your eyes’ dark adaptation. If you’re using a sky-viewing app, switch the app to night mode. </p>
<p>If you’re in the <a href="https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com">path of the April 2024 eclipse</a>, stay put. If you’re traveling, staying at the same location overnight before and after the eclipse can help avoid the hourslong <a href="https://mashable.com/article/eclipse-traffic">traffic jams</a> experienced by eclipse watchers in 2017. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534364/original/file-20230627-23-etm2qb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man looking up at the sky, wearing gray paper eclipse glasses." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534364/original/file-20230627-23-etm2qb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534364/original/file-20230627-23-etm2qb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534364/original/file-20230627-23-etm2qb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534364/original/file-20230627-23-etm2qb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534364/original/file-20230627-23-etm2qb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534364/original/file-20230627-23-etm2qb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/534364/original/file-20230627-23-etm2qb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Eclipse glasses protect your eyes while viewing an eclipse. You should never look directly at the Sun.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1197354027/photo/young-man-looking-up-at-solar-eclipse-wearing-paper-protective-glasses.webp?s=1024x1024&w=gi&k=20&c=h6U-p60XA4CD_9F5uk_a2Rhd9wwZGWptSxwGGYBY2Bc=">Cavan Images/Cavan via GettyImages</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also, you should never look directly at the Sun with the naked eye, <a href="https://eclipse.aas.org/sites/eclipse.aas.org/files/Chou-Solar-Eclipse-Eye-Safety-AAS-2016.pdf">even during a total eclipse</a>. You’ll need a pair of inexpensive <a href="https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/what-to-know-solar-eclipse-glasses">eclipse glasses</a> to watch and fully enjoy the eclipse, but get yours early, as many stores <a href="https://www.nola.com/archive/sorry-eclipse-enthusiasts-viewing-glasses-sold-out-across-new-orleans/article_087ba5ba-750b-5337-80e4-88611093ede8.html">ran out of glasses</a> during the 2017 eclipse. </p>
<p>No matter where you travel, don’t forget to look up at night and marvel at the beauty of the night sky, away from city lights.</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of an article originally published on July 5, 2023.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207969/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vahe Peroomian received funding in the past from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Last year of funding was 2014.</span></em></p>With a solar eclipse and several meteor showers coming up, an astronomy professor shares travel tips for viewing astronomical phenomena.Vahe Peroomian, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and SciencesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1937112022-12-12T22:29:45Z2022-12-12T22:29:45ZGet ready, a spectacular meteor shower is hitting our skies in the next few days<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499969/original/file-20221209-24715-2h6e9w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6048%2C4010&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dianasch/50730660927/">Diana Robinson/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s the most wonderful time of the year… not because Christmas is coming, but because it’s time for the Geminid meteor shower – an annual spectacle to bring joy and good cheer to all!</p>
<p>The Geminids are the best meteor shower of the year – a reliable show that graces the heavens every December. Active for around a fortnight, the shower peaks on the evening of December 14. </p>
<p>This year, the Moon will interfere with the best view of the Geminids. Rising just before or around midnight (depending on where you live), its glare will wash out and hide the fainter members of the shower. </p>
<p>For a normal meteor shower, that would be the kiss of death – but the Geminids are so good that, even fighting the glow of the Moon, they can still put on a spectacular show.</p>
<p>So where (and when) should you look? And where do the Geminids come from?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">Explainer: why meteors light up the night sky</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The Geminids are fragments of a rock comet</h2>
<p>Our Solar System is full of debris, left behind from when the planets formed. That debris includes comets and <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroid-watch">near-Earth asteroids</a> – objects whose orbits around the Sun cross that of Earth itself.</p>
<p>Comets and asteroids are dirty beasts. They both have a tendency to shed dust and debris to space as they move around our star. The parent of the Geminids is an asteroid called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3200_Phaethon">3200 Phaethon</a>; its extremely <a href="https://theskylive.com/phaethon-info">elongated orbit around the Sun</a> takes it in closer than Mercury, and out beyond the orbit of Mars. With each lap, the temperatures on Phaethon vary dramatically – from extreme cold (below -100°C) to extreme heat (above 750°C) and back again.</p>
<p>The result? <a href="https://phys.org/news/2013-09-phaethon-comet-stereo-vision.html">The rocks on Phaethon expand and contract with the heat</a>, fracturing and fragmenting, causing shards of debris to go out into space. Over thousands of years, that debris has spread around Phaethon’s orbit, creating a vast “tube”. We go through that debris each December as we move around the Sun, and it <a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2004EM%26P...95..303P/abstract">ablates</a> (often described as “burning up”, though no fire is involved) high in our atmosphere, giving birth to the Geminid meteor shower. </p>
<h2>So where and when should I look for the Geminids in 2022?</h2>
<p>For most of the fortnight the Geminids are active, their rates are low. At that time, Earth is passing through the outer regions of Phaethon’s debris stream, where the dust is widely spread. </p>
<p>But for around 24 hours, centred on the evening of December 14, Earth will be passing through the densest part of the meteor stream. That’s when the view will be best. </p>
<p>While Geminid meteors can appear in any part of the sky, all will point back to the same area. That region, in the constellation Gemini, is known as the <a href="https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/radiant-point-of-meteor-showers/">shower’s “radiant”</a>. When the radiant is below the horizon, meteors from the shower are hitting the far side of our planet, and so no shower meteors will be visible. </p>
<p>The time at which the Geminid radiant rises is in the table below for cities around Australia. That marks the start of the show, and is a good time to head out and start getting adapted to the darkness. </p>
<p><iframe id="kI6hl" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kI6hl/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>In the first hour after the radiant rises, Geminids will be few and far between, but those that do appear have the potential to be spectacular. Entering Earth’s atmosphere at a very shallow angle, these “Earthgrazers” can appear to travel from horizon to horizon, <a href="https://www.cnet.com/science/rare-earthgrazer-fireball-blazes-186-miles-across-the-sky-air-over-the-us/">an amazing sight</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499185/original/file-20221206-14-4v2s6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The night sky, with the Geminid radiant low to the northeast, near the bright stars Castor and Pollux" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499185/original/file-20221206-14-4v2s6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499185/original/file-20221206-14-4v2s6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499185/original/file-20221206-14-4v2s6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499185/original/file-20221206-14-4v2s6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499185/original/file-20221206-14-4v2s6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=627&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499185/original/file-20221206-14-4v2s6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=627&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499185/original/file-20221206-14-4v2s6n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=627&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Geminid radiant, as seen from Australia, will be low in the northeast in the hour after it rises, with the red planet Mars shining to the north.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As the hours pass, the show would normally get better and better, with the best rates visible in the early hours. This year, however, the waning gibbous Moon will rise roughly a couple of hours after the Geminid radiant. The moonlight will add glare to the night sky, hiding the fainter Geminids. Despite this, the show will continue to be spectacular – just a bit less so than in a normal year!</p>
<p>This year, the best time to observe might just be the hour or so before moonrise (and a little while after, when the Moon is still low in the sky). That’s a good time to lie back, relax, and gaze up at Mars – brilliant, red and brighter than the brightest stars in the night sky. This year, Mars will be a perfect guide to view the Geminids.</p>
<p>If you can relax and find Mars, and keep it roughly in the centre of your vision, you’ll be well placed to see plenty of Geminids. While the meteors can appear anywhere in the sky (always pointing back to the radiant), we’ve found that looking about 45 degrees from the radiant and about 45 degrees above the horizon seems to be the sweet spot to get the best display.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499188/original/file-20221206-19601-e9ol0y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The night sky showing Mars in the northwest, the Geminid radiant due north and the Last Quarter Moon in the northeast" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499188/original/file-20221206-19601-e9ol0y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499188/original/file-20221206-19601-e9ol0y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499188/original/file-20221206-19601-e9ol0y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499188/original/file-20221206-19601-e9ol0y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499188/original/file-20221206-19601-e9ol0y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499188/original/file-20221206-19601-e9ol0y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499188/original/file-20221206-19601-e9ol0y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Moon will brighten the sky during the early hours of December 15. By this time the Geminid radiant will be well placed in the northern sky, surrounded by famous constellations including Orion, the Hunter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Find somewhere comfortable to relax, and enjoy the show. Remember, though, that meteors are a bit like buses. While you might hope to see 20 or 30 in the hour before moonrise (more, if you’re lucky), don’t expect them to fall as regularly as clockwork. You’ll wait ten minutes, then three will come along at once!</p>
<h2>What if it’s cloudy? You might have better luck next year!</h2>
<p>The Geminids are an annual spectacle – something wonderful to set your calendar by. If you miss the peak this year, all is not lost. The nights either side of the maximum (December 13 and 15) will still put on a decent show, albeit not as good as the maximum. If all three are lost to cloud, then let’s look forward to next year’s show. There’s good news there – in 2023, the Moon will be new, and won’t interfere at all.</p>
<p>In the meantime – fingers crossed for clear skies! Hopefully we’ll all get a good chance to see the best meteor shower of 2022. And if not, well, there’s always next year.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">Explainer: why meteors light up the night sky</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193711/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Geminids – the best meteor shower of the year – are about to grace the skies. Here’s everything you need to know.Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria, and Honorary Fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1877672022-07-28T02:26:36Z2022-07-28T02:26:36ZA triple meteoric spectacle is set to grace our skies this weekend<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476420/original/file-20220728-11927-o052ct.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=40%2C81%2C6756%2C4310&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Looking for something spectacular to brighten a cold, dark winter’s night? </p>
<p>Well, this weekend might just have something in store: not one, not two, but three <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">meteor showers</a> active at the same time – combining to provide a celestial firework display almost all through the night.</p>
<p>Although the best night to watch will be the evening and night of Saturday July 30 (through to dawn on Sunday morning), the three showers will be near their peak rates from tonight. So you’ll have plenty of chances to catch the show while avoiding bad weather or other commitments.</p>
<p>Best of all, there’s <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases/">going to</a> be a New Moon, which means there won’t be much glare spoiling the show. </p>
<h2>Not one meteor shower, but three?</h2>
<p>The Solar System is full of debris left behind from the formation of the planets more than 4.5 billion years ago. Some of this debris – comets and asteroids – moves on orbits that cross Earth’s path around the Sun.</p>
<p>Each time those comets and asteroids swing in towards the Sun, they shed debris. Over hundreds or thousands of years their orbits become shrouded in broad streams of dust.</p>
<p>Earth continually passes through these streams of detritus as it moves around the Sun, which gives birth to the <a href="https://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2022.pdf">annual meteor showers</a>. Each year, we return to the same place in our orbit, encounter the same stream of debris, and get another nice show as that debris burns up harmlessly, 80 kilometres overhead. </p>
<p>In the depths of the Australian winter, Earth is moving through a bit of space where three streams of debris intersect with our planet’s orbit. Those three streams give birth to the stars of this weekend’s show: the Southern Delta Aquariids, the Alpha Capricornids, and the Piscis Austrinids.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/">International Meteor Organisation</a> has 3D animated visualisations of the <a href="https://www.meteorshowers.org/#iau-5">Southern Delta Aquariid</a> and the <a href="https://www.meteorshowers.org/#iau-1">Alpha Capricornid</a> meteor streams, which show how the debris is distributed across space.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476251/original/file-20220727-11-iqbmrs.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476251/original/file-20220727-11-iqbmrs.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476251/original/file-20220727-11-iqbmrs.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476251/original/file-20220727-11-iqbmrs.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476251/original/file-20220727-11-iqbmrs.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476251/original/file-20220727-11-iqbmrs.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476251/original/file-20220727-11-iqbmrs.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476251/original/file-20220727-11-iqbmrs.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=623&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The 3D visualisation of the Alpha Capricornid meteor stream allows you to move around the Solar system and see the debris stream in action.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">International Meteor Organisation/Screenshot</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A tale of three showers</h2>
<p>So, let’s introduce the stars of the show. </p>
<p>The Southern Delta Aquariids is the most active of the three showers, with the fastest-moving meteors. Most of the meteors you’ll see this weekend will likely be members of this stream. </p>
<p>The origin of the Southern Delta Aquariids is the topic of some debate. They are one of several meteor showers seemingly linked to one <a href="https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2013/03/aa20299-12/aa20299-12.html">parent object</a>, as though a large comet fell apart long ago, leaving behind a vast amount of debris, potentially including fragments large enough to be comets in their own right. </p>
<p>Over millennia, the debris has spread out, so Earth runs into it multiple times each year. At the moment, the Southern Delta Aquariids are tentatively tied to a comet called <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/096p.html">96P/Machholtz</a>, which is the most active object in the debris stream. </p>
<p>The Southern Delta Aquariids have been known to throw up some surprises. In 2006, they produced an outburst, with some people observing more than 60 meteors per hour at their peak. No outburst is forecast for this year, but you never know what might happen!</p>
<p>The second of our triumvirate of showers is the Alpha Capricornids. These produce the slowest meteors of the three showers. They also have a reputation for being a “fireball” shower – often producing spectacular meteors that outshine the brightest stars. </p>
<p>These are the meteors you’re most likely to catch on film, and provide a great opportunity to practise astrophotography. </p>
<p>The final shower, the Piscis Austrinids, are perhaps the least studied of the three. Like the Alpha Capricornids, they are a minor shower that yields just a few meteors per hour, even at their peak. Their meteors are of medium speed.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ive-always-wondered-why-are-the-stars-planets-and-moons-round-when-comets-and-asteroids-arent-160541">I've always wondered: why are the stars, planets and moons round, when comets and asteroids aren't?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>So where, and when, should I look?</h2>
<p>The key for observers is to work out when the shower’s “radiant” will be above the horizon. The radiant is the point in the sky from which all the meteors in the shower appear to radiate.</p>
<p>Meteor showers are named after the location of their radiant. The Alpha Capricornids, for example, radiate from a point near the star Alpha Capricorni. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476246/original/file-20220727-1332-4gv6bc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="depiction of the night sky looking east" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476246/original/file-20220727-1332-4gv6bc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476246/original/file-20220727-1332-4gv6bc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476246/original/file-20220727-1332-4gv6bc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476246/original/file-20220727-1332-4gv6bc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476246/original/file-20220727-1332-4gv6bc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476246/original/file-20220727-1332-4gv6bc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476246/original/file-20220727-1332-4gv6bc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The radiants for the meteor showers will be high in the eastern sky, around 11pm local time. The planets Jupiter and Saturn, as well as the bright stars Fomalhaut, Altair (to the north-east) and Achernar (to the south-east) will be visible, weather permitting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the case of our midwinter trio, we’re quite lucky. All three radiants rise in the early-to-mid evening from Australia, and reach a reasonable altitude by about 10pm. </p>
<p>As a result, you’ll be able to see meteors any time from the mid-evening onward. The best rates will be visible from about 10pm, until dawn.</p>
<p>Once you’re settled into a comfortable spot from which to observe, try to avoid looking at your phone. You’ll want to let your eyes properly adjust to the darkness so you can see the faintest meteors. Glancing at a screen, even for a second, will send you back to square one.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476247/original/file-20220727-19-z8re3r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="depiction of the morning sky looking towards the north-west" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476247/original/file-20220727-19-z8re3r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476247/original/file-20220727-19-z8re3r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476247/original/file-20220727-19-z8re3r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476247/original/file-20220727-19-z8re3r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476247/original/file-20220727-19-z8re3r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476247/original/file-20220727-19-z8re3r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476247/original/file-20220727-19-z8re3r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">By morning, around 5am, local time, on Sunday, July 31, the meteor showers will appear to radiate from the western sky. The planets Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars should be visible too.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We find the best place to look when watching a meteor shower is around 45 degrees above the horizon, and about 45 degrees to the left or the right of the radiant.</p>
<p>In the early evening, it would therefore be best to look to the east or northeast. By midnight, and immediately after, looking to the north would be best. And in the hours before dawn, you should look west or northwest.</p>
<p>And don’t fret once it’s over! While these three showers are shaping up to put on a decent show, they aren’t the best meteoric event of the year. That’s the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-12-12/geminids-meteor-shower-2021-australia-astronomy-guide/100632500">Geminids</a>, coming up in December. So there’s much to look forward to yet!</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/fragments-of-a-dying-comet-might-put-on-a-spectacular-show-next-week-or-pass-by-without-a-trace-182434">Fragments of a dying comet might put on a spectacular show next week – or pass by without a trace</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187767/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Earth is moving through a bit of space where three streams of debris intersect with our orbit. These streams will give birth to the stars of this weekend’s show.Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1824342022-05-26T03:20:34Z2022-05-26T03:20:34ZFragments of a dying comet might put on a spectacular show next week – or pass by without a trace<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465169/original/file-20220524-21-u21zj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C18%2C1398%2C2007&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The 1833 Leonid Meteor storm, as seen over Niagara Falls.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leonid_Meteor_Storm_1833.jpg">Edmund Weiß (1888)</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As Earth orbits the Sun, it ploughs through dust and debris left behind by comets and asteroids. That debris <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">gives birth to meteor showers</a> – which can be one of nature’s most amazing spectacles.</p>
<p>Most meteor showers are predictable, recurring annually when the Earth traverses a particular trail of debris. </p>
<p>Occasionally, however, Earth runs through a particularly narrow, dense clump of debris. This results in a meteor storm, sending <a href="https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2020/09/how-newspapers-helped-crowdsource-a-scientific-discovery-the-1833-leonid-meteor-storm/#:%7E:text=The%20Leonid%20meteor%20storm%20was,know%20more%20about%20this%20phenomenon.">thousands of shooting stars streaking across the sky each hour</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Artist's impression of the great Leonid meteor storm of 1833" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465041/original/file-20220524-23-pixuou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Artist’s impression of the 1833 Leonid meteor storm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adolf Vollmy (April 1888)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A minor shower called the Tau Herculids could create a meteor storm for observers in the Americas next week. But while some websites promise “the most powerful meteor storm in generations”, astronomers are a little more cautious.</p>
<h2>Introducing comet SW3</h2>
<p>The story begins with a comet called <a href="https://cometography.com/pcomets/073p.html">73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3</a> (comet SW3 for short). First spotted in 1930, it is responsible for a weak meteor shower called the Tau Herculids, which nowadays appears to radiate from a point about ten degrees from the bright star Arcturus. </p>
<p>In 1995, comet SW3 <a href="https://cometography.com/pcomets/073p.html">suddenly and unexpectedly brightened</a>. A number of outbursts were observed over a few months. The comet had <a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1996A%26A...310L..17C/abstract">catastrophically fragmented</a>, releasing huge amounts of dust, gas, and debris. </p>
<p>By 2006 (two orbits later), comet SW3 had disintegrated further, into <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/Comet_73P.html">several bright fragments accompanied by many smaller chunks</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Animated images of comet 73P as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=576&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=576&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=576&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=723&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=723&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465044/original/file-20220524-16-tuml3t.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=723&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fragments of comet 73P seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NASA, ESA, H. Weaver (APL/JHU), M. Mutchler and Z. Levay (STScI)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Is Earth on a collision course?</h2>
<p>This year, Earth will cross comet SW3’s orbit at the end of May.</p>
<p>Detailed computer modelling suggests debris has been spreading out along the comet’s orbit like enormous thin tentacles in space. </p>
<p>Has the debris spread far enough to encounter Earth? It depends on how much debris was ejected in 1995 and how rapidly that debris was flung outwards as the comet fell apart. But the pieces of dust and debris are so small we can’t see them until we run into them. So how can we get an insight into what might happen next week?</p>
<h2>Could history repeat itself?</h2>
<p>Our current understanding of meteor showers began 150 years ago with an event quite similar to SW3’s story.</p>
<p>A comet called <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/061078c0">comet 3D/Biela</a> was discovered in 1772. It was a short-period comet, like SW3, returning every 6.6 years. </p>
<p>In 1846, the comet began to behave strangely. Observers saw its head had split in two, and some described an “archway of cometary matter” between the pieces.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Sketch of a comet split into two pieces, each with its own tail." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465046/original/file-20220524-18-2sg6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sketch of comet 3D/Biela in February 1846, after it split into (at least) two pieces.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Edmund Weiß</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the comet’s next return, in 1852, the two fragments had clearly separated and both were fluctuating unpredictably in brightness.</p>
<p>The comet was never seen again. </p>
<p>But in late November of 1872, an unexpected meteor storm graced northern skies, stunning observers with rates of more than 3,000 meteors per hour. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A paiting showing meteors raining down over mountains" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465047/original/file-20220524-22-d7c5zp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The meteor storm of 1872.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amedee Guillemin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The meteor storm occurred when the Earth crossed 3D/Biela’s orbit: it was where the comet itself should have been two months earlier. A second storm, weaker than the first, occurred in 1885, when the Earth once more encountered the comet’s remains. </p>
<p>3D/Biela had disintegrated into rubble, but the two great meteor storms it produced served as a fitting wake. </p>
<p>A dying comet, falling apart before our eyes, and an associated meteor shower, usually barely imperceptible against the background noise. Are we about to see history repeat itself with comet SW3?</p>
<h2>What does this suggest for the Tau Herculids?</h2>
<p>The main difference between the events of 1872 and this year’s Tau Herculids comes down to the timing of Earth’s crossing of the cometary orbits. In 1872, Earth crossed Biela’s orbit several months <em>after</em> the comet was due, running through material lagging behind where the comet would have been.</p>
<p>By contrast, the encounter between Earth and SW3’s debris stream next week happens several months <em>before</em> the comet is due to reach the crossing point. So the debris needs to have spread <em>ahead</em> of the comet for a meteor storm to occur.</p>
<p>Could the debris have spread far enough to encounter Earth? Some models suggest we’ll see a strong display from the shower, others suggest the debris will fall just short.</p>
<h2>Don’t count your meteors before they’ve flashed!</h2>
<p>Whatever happens, observations of next week’s shower will greatly improve our understanding of how comet fragmentation events happen.</p>
<p>Calculations show Earth will <a href="https://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2022.pdf">cross SW3’s orbit at about 3pm, May 31 (AEST)</a>. If the debris reaches far enough forward for Earth to encounter it, then an outburst from the Tau Herculids is likely, but it will only last an hour or two. </p>
<p>From Australia, the show (if there is one) will be over before it’s dark enough to see what’s happening. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="View of the night sky showing the Tau Herculids radiant" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465059/original/file-20220524-22-pmvu1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For observers across Australia, the Tau Herculids radiant is low in the northern sky around 7pm local time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Observers in north and south America will, however, have a ringside seat. </p>
<p>They are more likely to see a moderate display of slow-moving meteors than a huge storm. This would be a great result, but might be a little disappointing.</p>
<p>However, there is a chance the shower could put on a truly spectacular display. Astronomers are travelling across the world, just in case. </p>
<h2>What about Australian observers?</h2>
<p>There’s also a small chance any activity will last longer than expected, or even arrive a bit late. Even if you’re in Australia, it’s worth looking up on the evening of May 31, just in case you can get a glimpse of a fragment from a dying comet!</p>
<p>The 1995 debris stream is just one of many laid down by the comet in past decades. </p>
<p>During the early morning of May 31, around 4am (AEST), Earth will cross debris from the comet’s 1892 passage around the Sun. Later that evening, around 8pm, May 31 (AEST), Earth will cross debris laid down by the comet in 1897.</p>
<p>However, debris from those visits will have spread out over time, and therefore we expect only a few meteors to grace our skies from those streams. But, as always, we might be wrong - the only way to know is to go out and see! </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The night sky at midnight, showing the Tau Herculids radiant." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/465061/original/file-20220524-23-ilm484.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">By midnight (local time), the Tau Herculids radiant will have moved to the north-western sky, seen from across Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182434/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Could the Tau Herculid meteor shower put on a spectacular show next week? Only time will tell.Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1817272022-05-03T20:08:08Z2022-05-03T20:08:08ZThe Eta Aquariid meteor shower is set to light up the skies. Here’s how to get the best seat in the house<p>There’s something wonderful about sitting under the night sky, watching a meteor shower play out overhead. However, observers in the southern hemisphere usually get the short end of the stick, with <a href="https://spaceaustralia.com/news/ultimate-sky-guide-catching-meteors-your-backyard-2022">most of the best showers</a> strongly favouring those north of the equator. </p>
<p>Every May, however, southern observers get a special treat – the Eta Aquariid meteor shower. This year conditions promise to be perfect, making it the ideal opportunity for some autumnal meteor observation.</p>
<p>The forecast peak for this year’s Eta Aquariids falls on the morning of Saturday, May 7. The Moon is well out of the way, so meteors won’t be lost in its glare. </p>
<p>But what if skies are cloudy? Well, if you miss the morning of the peak, don’t panic! The Eta Aquariids are famed for their broad peak, and meteor rates typically stay high for about a week around the peak (May 4–11). So if Saturday morning is cloudy, try looking again on Sunday, or even Monday.</p>
<p>To get the best view, you’ll want to get up in the early hours of the morning and be well away from any bright city lights. Give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. Take a chair or recliner to get comfortable, relax and gaze skywards. </p>
<p>You won’t even need a telescope! To best observe meteor showers, you’ll want to watch as wide an area of sky as possible. Using a telescope or binoculars would make the spectacle almost impossible to observe.</p>
<h2>Dust and debris from a famous comet</h2>
<p>As the Earth orbits the Sun, it continually runs into dust and debris from comets and asteroids. Every April and May, the Earth spends about six weeks traversing a river of dust left behind by the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halley%27s_Comet">Comet 1P/Halley</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460275/original/file-20220428-18-qu16zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Comet Halley, as seen in 1986. The head of the comet is to the left, with the blue gas tail pointing to the lower right, and the dust tail curving slightly towards the upper right." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460275/original/file-20220428-18-qu16zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460275/original/file-20220428-18-qu16zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460275/original/file-20220428-18-qu16zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460275/original/file-20220428-18-qu16zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460275/original/file-20220428-18-qu16zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460275/original/file-20220428-18-qu16zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460275/original/file-20220428-18-qu16zo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Comet 1P/Halley was photographed on March 8, 1986, during its last pass around the Sun.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NASA/W. Liller</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Every 76 years or so, Comet Halley swings close to the Sun. Its icy surface heats up until the ices boil off into space in a process called “<a href="https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/s/sublimation">sublimation</a>”. This shrouds the comet in a gaseous coma, which is blown away from the Sun to generate the comet’s tail. </p>
<p>The gas escaping Halley’s surface carries dust grains, which gradually spread around the comet’s orbit. Some move ahead of the comet, while others lag behind. </p>
<p>Over thousands of years, the space around Halley’s orbit has become thick with dust grains. The comet is essentially moving through a dirty snowstorm of its own making! And each year, the Earth runs through that broad river of dust – giving birth to the Eta Aquariid meteor shower. </p>
<p>Interestingly, the Earth runs into Halley’s debris again in October, producing the famous <a href="https://theconversation.com/see-one-of-the-years-best-meteor-showers-thanks-to-halleys-comet-33091">Orionid meteor shower</a>. But we get a better show in May each year with the Eta Aquariids, as this is when we move closer to the centre of the dust stream.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/thousands-of-satellites-are-polluting-australian-skies-and-threatening-ancient-indigenous-astronomy-practices-173840">Thousands of satellites are polluting Australian skies, and threatening ancient Indigenous astronomy practices</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Where should I look?</h2>
<p>When dust left behind by a comet smashes into Earth’s atmosphere, it becomes a spectacular fiery streak of light high in the sky. This <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">usually happens about 80km above the ground</a>, although the largest bits of debris can penetrate pretty deep into the atmosphere before burning up entirely.</p>
<p>The dust grains in a meteor shower all move around the Sun at essentially the same speed and in the same direction. This means the grains are also travelling in the same direction as they hit the Earth. </p>
<p>But as they move towards an observer on the ground, that observer’s perspective will make their paths diverge, and they will seem to be radiating out from a single point in the sky. That point is known as a shower’s “radiant”. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460306/original/file-20220428-9919-42jk0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Meteors from the Orionid meteor shower in 2011, radiating from a point near the lower left of the image." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460306/original/file-20220428-9919-42jk0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460306/original/file-20220428-9919-42jk0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460306/original/file-20220428-9919-42jk0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460306/original/file-20220428-9919-42jk0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460306/original/file-20220428-9919-42jk0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=571&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460306/original/file-20220428-9919-42jk0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=571&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460306/original/file-20220428-9919-42jk0m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=571&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Orionid meteors are a great example of how meteors in a shower seem to radiate from a single point in the sky.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Phil Hart</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Meteors showers are named for the constellation in which their radiant lies. So the Eta Aquariids have a radiant near the star Eta Aquarii – <a href="https://theskylive.com/sky/constellations/aquarius-bright-stars">the tenth-brightest star in Aquarius</a>.</p>
<p>To see the Eta Aquariids, you’ll need to wait until the radiant rises – before that, the body of the Earth gets in the way. We’re lucky here in the southern hemisphere, as the Eta Aquariid radiant rises in the east at around 1:30 to 2am, local time.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460462/original/file-20220429-25229-42jk0m.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460462/original/file-20220429-25229-42jk0m.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460462/original/file-20220429-25229-42jk0m.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460462/original/file-20220429-25229-42jk0m.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460462/original/file-20220429-25229-42jk0m.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460462/original/file-20220429-25229-42jk0m.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460462/original/file-20220429-25229-42jk0m.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460462/original/file-20220429-25229-42jk0m.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Eta Aquariids radiant will rise between 1.20am and 2.20am for cities across Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While the Eta Aquariid meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky, the ideal place to see the best number of meteors is about 45 degrees to the left or right of the radiant itself.</p>
<p>Fortunately, this year we have another spectacular sight in the morning sky. Four planets – Saturn, Mars, Jupiter and Venus – will all be in a line. To see the best meteor show, look about 45 degrees to the left or right of this line of planets.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460467/original/file-20220429-25839-7wz786.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="view of the night sky showing the Eta Aquariid radiant above the eastern horizon, along with the planets in a line - Saturn (highest), then Mars, Jupiter and Venus." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460467/original/file-20220429-25839-7wz786.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/460467/original/file-20220429-25839-7wz786.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460467/original/file-20220429-25839-7wz786.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460467/original/file-20220429-25839-7wz786.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=403&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460467/original/file-20220429-25839-7wz786.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460467/original/file-20220429-25839-7wz786.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/460467/original/file-20220429-25839-7wz786.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The line of planets and the Eta Aquariid radiant as they will appear at around 4am on May 7 from Sydney (rising in the east). The sky will look mostly the same from Brisbane, Canberra and Perth at 4am (local time), Melbourne, Hobart and Adelaide at 4:30am (local time) and Darwin at 5am (local time).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To see how the planets and radiant will rise from your location, visit the Stellarium planetarium <a href="https://stellarium-web.org/">website</a>, set your location and move the date and time forward to the morning of May 7. If you turn on the “constellations” and “constellations art” (at the bottom of the screen), you can watch Aquarius and the planets rising from the comfort of your computer.</p>
<h2>How many meteors should I expect to see?</h2>
<p>The Eta Aquariids are the second best shower of the year for people in Australia. They can put on a spectacular show - but don’t expect to see meteors falling like snowflakes. </p>
<p>When the radiant first rises above the horizon, at around 1.30am, meteors from the shower will be few and far between. If you see five or six Eta Aquariids in that first hour, you should probably count yourself lucky.</p>
<p>That said, these early meteors could be really spectacular. Known as “Earth grazers”, they often seem to streak from near one horizon all the way across the sky. Earth grazers are the result of meteors hitting our atmosphere at a very shallow angle, almost edge on. They’re rare, but incredible to witness!</p>
<p>As the night goes on, and the radiant climbs higher into the sky, the number of meteors should increase. In the hour before dawn, you could easily see 20 to 30 meteors per hour. </p>
<p>Oh, and a word of warning: meteors are like buses – if you’re expecting 30 per hour, you can easily wait ten minutes and see nothing, before three come along at once. Make sure you dress warm so you can stay under the stars for at least half an hour, if not more! </p>
<hr>
<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hunting-galaxies-far-far-away-heres-how-anyone-can-explore-the-universe-172233">Hunting galaxies far far away – here's how anyone can explore the universe</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181727/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Each year, the Earth runs through a broad river of dust surrounding Comet Halley – giving birth to the spectacular Eta Aquariid meteor shower.Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1491462020-12-31T20:19:52Z2020-12-31T20:19:52ZLook up! Your guide to some of the best meteor showers for 2021<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373826/original/file-20201209-14-1bho31j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1401%2C485%2C4589%2C3368&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ikewinski/49334338277/">Flickr/Mike Lewinski </a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The best meteor showers are a spectacular sight but, unfortunately, 2021 starts with a whimper. Moonlight this January will wash out the first of the big three — the Quadrantids (seen above in 2020). </p>
<p>After that, the year just gets better and better, with the <a href="https://theconversation.com/look-up-your-guide-to-some-of-the-best-meteor-showers-for-2021-149146#term-Perseids">Perseids</a> (another of the big three along with the <a href="https://theconversation.com/look-up-your-guide-to-some-of-the-best-meteor-showers-for-2021-149146#term-Geminids">Geminids</a>) a particular highlight for northern hemisphere observers in August. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">Explainer: why meteors light up the night sky</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In addition to the year’s other reliable performers we’ve included one wild card: the <a href="https://theconversation.com/look-up-your-guide-to-some-of-the-best-meteor-showers-for-2021-149146#term-Aurigids">Aurigids</a>, in late August. Most years, the Aurigids are a very, very minor shower, but they just might put on a show this year.</p>
<p>So here is our pick of the meteoric highlights for 2021.</p>
<p>For each meteor shower, we give you a finder chart showing the radiant (where the meteors appear to come from in the sky) and where best to look in the sky, the full period of activity and the forecast peak. Most meteor showers typically only yield their best rates for about a day around maximum, so the peak night is definitely the best to observe.</p>
<p>The Zenithal Hourly Rate <a href="https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-faq/#7">ZHR</a> is the maximum number of meteors you would expect to see under perfect observing conditions. The actual number you will see will likely be lower.</p>
<p>Most meteor showers can only really be observed from either the northern [N] or southern [S] hemisphere, but a few are visible from both [N/S]. </p>
<h2><a id="term-Lyrids"></a>Lyrids [N/S; N favoured]</h2>
<h3>Active: April 14–30</h3>
<h3>Maximum: April 22, 1pm UTC = 11pm AEST (Qld) = 7am CST = 3am Hawaii time</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 18</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/c-1861-g1-thatcher/in-depth/">Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher</a></h3>
<p>The Lyrids are one of the meteor showers with the longest and most storied histories, with recorded observations <a href="https://www.space.com/36550-history-lyrid-meteor-shower-2017.html">spanning millenia</a>. In the past, they were one of the year’s most active showers, with a history of producing spectacular meteor storms.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373830/original/file-20201209-23-10rgdul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Flash of two meteors across a night sky." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373830/original/file-20201209-23-10rgdul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373830/original/file-20201209-23-10rgdul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373830/original/file-20201209-23-10rgdul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373830/original/file-20201209-23-10rgdul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373830/original/file-20201209-23-10rgdul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373830/original/file-20201209-23-10rgdul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373830/original/file-20201209-23-10rgdul.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A couple of Lyrids.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/draconianrain/49805909916/">Flickr/DraconianRain</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nowadays, the Lyrids are more sedate, putting on a reliable show without matching the year’s stronger showers. They still throw up occasional surprises such as an outburst in excess of 90 meteors per hour in 1982.</p>
<p>This year’s peak Lyrid rates coincide with the first quarter Moon, which will set around midnight, local time, for most locations. The best time to observe will come in the early hours of the morning, after moonset. </p>
<p>For observers in the northern hemisphere, the Lyrid radiant will already be at a useful altitude by the time the Moon is low in the sky, so some brighter meteors might be visible despite the moonlight in the late evening (after around 10:30pm, local time).</p>
<p>Once the Moon sets the sky will darken and make the shower much easier to observe, yielding markedly higher rates. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373541/original/file-20201208-14-ymq9n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373541/original/file-20201208-14-ymq9n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373541/original/file-20201208-14-ymq9n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373541/original/file-20201208-14-ymq9n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373541/original/file-20201208-14-ymq9n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373541/original/file-20201208-14-ymq9n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=643&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373541/original/file-20201208-14-ymq9n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=643&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373541/original/file-20201208-14-ymq9n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=643&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Across the US, the Lyrid radiant is high in the east before sunrise, above the Summer Triangle of Vega, Deneb and Altair. Low to the horizon, Jupiter and Saturn are rising. US around 4am local time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For observers in the southern hemisphere, the Lyrid radiant reaches a useful altitude in the early hours of the morning, when the Moon will have set. If you’re a keen meteor observer, it could be worth setting your alarm early to get out and watch the show for a few hours before dawn.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373536/original/file-20201208-19-zsnq1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373536/original/file-20201208-19-zsnq1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373536/original/file-20201208-19-zsnq1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373536/original/file-20201208-19-zsnq1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373536/original/file-20201208-19-zsnq1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373536/original/file-20201208-19-zsnq1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=598&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373536/original/file-20201208-19-zsnq1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=598&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373536/original/file-20201208-19-zsnq1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=598&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Boorong from north-western Victoria saw the Lyrids as Neilloan, the Mallee fowl, kicking up shooting stars while preparing her nest. Melbourne, 5am.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Lyrid meteors are fast and often quite bright so can be rewarding to observe, despite the relatively low rates (one every five or ten minutes, or so). Remember, this shower always has the potential to throw up an unexpected surprise.</p>
<h2><a id="term-Eta-Aquariids"></a>Eta Aquariids [S]</h2>
<h3>Active: April 19–May 28</h3>
<h3>Maximum: May 6, 3am UTC = 1pm AEST (Qld/NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas) = 11am AWST (WA)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 50+</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/1p-halley/in-depth/">Comet 1P/Halley</a></h3>
<p>The Eta Aquariids are an autumn treat for southern hemisphere observers. While not one of the big three, they stand clear as the best of the rest of the annual showers, yielding a fine display in the two or three hours before dawn.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zgm-Z14_b3o?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The Eta Aquariids are fast meteors and are often bright, with smoky trains. They are fragments of the most famous comet, 1P/Halley, which has been laying down debris around its current orbit of the Sun for tens of thousands of years.</p>
<p>Earth passes through that debris twice a year, with the Eta Aquariids the best of the two meteor showers that result. The other is the Orionids, in October.</p>
<p>Where most meteor showers have a relatively short, sharp peak, the Eta Aquariids remain close to their best for a whole week, centred on the maximum. Good rates (ZHR > 30 per hour) should be visible before sunrise on each morning between May 3–10. </p>
<p>The Moon will be a waning crescent when the Eta Aquariids are at their best. Its glare should not interfere badly with the shower, washing out only the faintest members. </p>
<p>Observers who brave the pre-dawn hours to observe the Eta Aquariids will have the chance to lie beneath a spectacular sky. The Milky Way will be high overhead, with Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon high to the east and bright, fast meteors streaking across the sky from an origin near the eastern horizon.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373487/original/file-20201208-13-8crtu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373487/original/file-20201208-13-8crtu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373487/original/file-20201208-13-8crtu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373487/original/file-20201208-13-8crtu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373487/original/file-20201208-13-8crtu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373487/original/file-20201208-13-8crtu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373487/original/file-20201208-13-8crtu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373487/original/file-20201208-13-8crtu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The crescent Moon, the two biggest planets, a couple of bright stars and the Eta Aquariids all in the east before sunrise on May 6. Australia, around 4am local time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2><a id="term-Perseids"></a>Perseids [N]</h2>
<h3>Active: July 17–August 24</h3>
<h3>Maximum: August 12, 7pm–10pm UTC = 8pm–11pm BST = August 13, 4am–7am JST</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 110</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="https://cometography.com/pcomets/109p.html">Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle</a></h3>
<p>The Perseids are the meteoric highlight of the northern summer and the most observed shower of the year. December’s Geminids offer better rates but the timing of the Perseid peak makes them an ideal holiday treat.</p>
<p>The Perseids are debris shed behind by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which is the largest known object (diameter around 26km) whose orbit currently intersects that of Earth.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373832/original/file-20201209-17-b2p16v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An asteroid streak across the sky with a volcano and telescope in the foreground." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373832/original/file-20201209-17-b2p16v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373832/original/file-20201209-17-b2p16v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373832/original/file-20201209-17-b2p16v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373832/original/file-20201209-17-b2p16v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373832/original/file-20201209-17-b2p16v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373832/original/file-20201209-17-b2p16v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373832/original/file-20201209-17-b2p16v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Perseid crosses the sky over the Teide volcano and Teide Observatory on Tenerife.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/starryearth/50221956782/">Flickr/StarryEarth</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Perseid meteors are fast, crashing into Earth at a speed of about 216,000km/h, and often bright. While the shower is active, at low levels, for more than a month, the best rates are typically visible for at the three nights centred on the peak. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373496/original/file-20201208-21-513eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373496/original/file-20201208-21-513eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373496/original/file-20201208-21-513eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373496/original/file-20201208-21-513eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373496/original/file-20201208-21-513eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373496/original/file-20201208-21-513eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373496/original/file-20201208-21-513eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373496/original/file-20201208-21-513eh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Perseids radiate from the north-east, with the radiant rising high in the sky during the early hours of the morning. London, 11pm (left) and 4am (right)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For observers at European latitudes, the Perseid radiant rises by mid-evening, so the shower can be easily observed from 10pm local time, and remains high all through the night. The later in the night you look, the higher the radiant will be and the more meteors you’re likely to see.</p>
<h2><a id="term-Aurigids"></a>Aurigids [N favoured]</h2>
<h3>Active: August 28–September 5</h3>
<h3>Maximum: Potential Outburst on August 31, peaking between 9:15pm–9:40pm UTC = 10:15pm–10:40pm BST = 11:15pm–11:40pm CEST = September 1, 1:15am–1:40am Gulf Standard Time = September 1, 5:15am–5:40am AWST (WA)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 50–100 (?)</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12443-rare-meteor-shower-to-shed-light-on-dangerous-comets/">Comet C/1911 N1 Kiess</a></h3>
<p>Where the other showers are reliable and relatively predictable, offering good rates every year, the Aurigids are an entirely different beast. </p>
<p>In most years, the shower is barely visible. Even at its peak, rates rarely exceed just a couple of meteors seen per hour. But occasionally the Aurigids bring a surprise with short and unexpected outbursts of 30-50 meteors an hour seen in 1935, 1986, 1994 and 2019.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A1NF4jYWHnE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The parent comet of the Aurigids, C/1911 N1 Kiess, moves on an orbit with a period far longer than the parent of any other shower on our list.</p>
<p>It is thought the orbit takes between 1,800 and 2,000 years to complete, although our knowledge of it is very limited as it was only observed for a short period of time. </p>
<p>In late August every year, Earth passes through debris shed by the comet at a previous passage thousands of years into the past. In most years, the dust we encounter is very sparse.</p>
<p>But occasionally we intersect a denser, narrow stream of debris, material laid down at the comet’s previous passage. That dust has not yet had time to disperse so is more densely packed and hence gives enhanced rates: a meteor outburst.</p>
<p>Several independent research teams studying the past behaviour of the shower have all come to the same conclusion. On August 31, 2021, the Earth will once again intersect that narrow band of debris and <a href="https://www.imo.net/files/meteor-shower/cal2021.pdf#page=13">an outburst may occur</a>, with predictions it will peak around 21:17 UTC or 21:35 UTC.</p>
<p>Such an outburst would be short-lived. The dense core of the debris stream is so narrow it will take the Earth just ten or 20 minutes to traverse. So you’ll have to be lucky to see it.</p>
<p>The forecast outburst this year is timed such that observers in Eastern Europe and Asia will be the fortunate ones, with the radiant above the horizon. The waning Moon will light the sky when the radiant is above the horizon, washing out the fainter meteors from the shower. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373529/original/file-20201208-14-3vqtfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373529/original/file-20201208-14-3vqtfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373529/original/file-20201208-14-3vqtfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373529/original/file-20201208-14-3vqtfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373529/original/file-20201208-14-3vqtfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373529/original/file-20201208-14-3vqtfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373529/original/file-20201208-14-3vqtfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373529/original/file-20201208-14-3vqtfs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From Europe, the expected peak of the Aurigids occurs just before Moonrise. Be sure to look for the Pleiades whilst watching for any Aurigids - they’re a spectacular cluster of bright stars, commonly known as the Seven Sisters. Vienna, 11:30pm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373534/original/file-20201208-15-ut3cbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373534/original/file-20201208-15-ut3cbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373534/original/file-20201208-15-ut3cbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373534/original/file-20201208-15-ut3cbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373534/original/file-20201208-15-ut3cbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373534/original/file-20201208-15-ut3cbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373534/original/file-20201208-15-ut3cbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373534/original/file-20201208-15-ut3cbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The crescent Moon has risen in Asia at the time the Aurigids peak. Dubai, 1:30am.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Aurigids tend to be fast and are often quite bright. Previous outbursts of the shower have featured large numbers of bright meteors. It may just be worth getting up and heading outside at the time of the predicted outburst, just in case the Aurigids give us a show to remember.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373523/original/file-20201208-17-s4nwed.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373523/original/file-20201208-17-s4nwed.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373523/original/file-20201208-17-s4nwed.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373523/original/file-20201208-17-s4nwed.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373523/original/file-20201208-17-s4nwed.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373523/original/file-20201208-17-s4nwed.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373523/original/file-20201208-17-s4nwed.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373523/original/file-20201208-17-s4nwed.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">While waiting for the Aurigids, the morning sky in Perth is also packed with many famous constellations and bright stars. Perth, 5:30am.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2><a id="term-Geminids"></a>Geminids [N/S]</h2>
<h3>Active: December 4–17</h3>
<h3>Maximum: December 14, 7am UTC = 6pm AEDT (NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas) = 3pm AWST (WA) = 2am EST</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 150</h3>
<h3>Parent: Asteroid <a href="https://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/Phaethon/Phaethon_planning.2017.html">3200 Phaethon</a></h3>
<p>The Geminid meteor shower is truly a case of saving the best until last. By far the best of the annual meteor showers, it graces our skies every December, yielding good numbers of spectacular, bright meteors.</p>
<p>The shower is so good it is always worth observing, even in 2021, when the Moon will be almost full.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UCX5GqWMzxs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Over the decades, the Geminids have gradually become stronger and stronger. They took the crown of the year’s best shower from the Perseids in the 1990s, and have continued to improve ever since.</p>
<p>For observers in the northern hemisphere, the Geminids are visible from relatively early in the evening, with their radiant rising shortly after sunset, and remaining above the horizon for all of the hours of darkness.</p>
<p>As the night progresses, the radiant gets very high in the sky and the shower can put on a truly spectacular show.</p>
<p>For those in the southern hemisphere, the situation is not quite as ideal. The further south you live, the later the radiant will rise, and so the later the show will begin.</p>
<p>When the radiant reaches its highest point in the sky (around 2am–3am local time), it sits closer to the horizon the further south you are, so the best meteor rates you observe will be reduced compared to those seen from more northerly locations.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373553/original/file-20201208-17-85h9ns.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373553/original/file-20201208-17-85h9ns.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373553/original/file-20201208-17-85h9ns.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373553/original/file-20201208-17-85h9ns.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373553/original/file-20201208-17-85h9ns.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373553/original/file-20201208-17-85h9ns.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373553/original/file-20201208-17-85h9ns.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373553/original/file-20201208-17-85h9ns.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">At its highest point, the Geminids radiant sits higher from Brisbane (left) than from Hobart (right), which is why northern observers have a better chance of seeing more meteors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite these apparent drawbacks, the Geminids are still by far the best meteor shower of the year for observers in Australia, and are well worth a look, even on the moonlit nights of 2021.</p>
<p>Peak Geminid rates last for around 24 hours, centred on the official peak time, before falling away relatively rapidly thereafter. This means that observers around the globe can enjoy the display.</p>
<p>The best rates come when the radiant is highest in the sky (around 2–3am) but it is well worth looking up at any time after the radiant has risen above the horizon.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373559/original/file-20201208-23-1hsn82a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373559/original/file-20201208-23-1hsn82a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373559/original/file-20201208-23-1hsn82a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373559/original/file-20201208-23-1hsn82a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373559/original/file-20201208-23-1hsn82a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373559/original/file-20201208-23-1hsn82a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373559/original/file-20201208-23-1hsn82a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373559/original/file-20201208-23-1hsn82a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Geminid radiant rises at about the following times across Australia.</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So wherever you are on the planet, if skies are clear for the peak of the Geminids, it is well worth going outside and looking up, to revel in the beauty of the greatest of the annual meteor showers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149146/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A poor start for meteor showers in 2021 but things get better with a possible spectacular surprise later in the year. Here’s your guide on when and where to look to catch nature’s fireworks.Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1259362020-01-02T21:56:17Z2020-01-02T21:56:17ZLook up! Your guide to some of the best meteor showers for 2020<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306459/original/file-20191211-95159-vh28cj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1024%2C671&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A composite image of one night watching the Orionids meteor shower.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreysullivan/30356513802/">Flickr/Jeff Sullivan</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Where 2019 was a disappointing year for meteor showers, with two of the big three (the Quadrantids, Perseids and Geminids) lost mainly to moonlight, 2020 promises to be much better.</p>
<p>The year starts with a bang with the Quadrantids providing a treat for northern hemisphere viewers. The Perseids, in August, provide another highlight for those in the northern hemisphere, while the December Geminids round the year off for observers all around the world.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">Explainer: why meteors light up the night sky</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But the big three aren’t the only meteor showers that will put on a show this year. So when should you look up to see the meteoric highlights of the coming year?</p>
<p>Here’s our pick of the showers to watch. We have the time each shower is forecast to peak, finder charts showing you where best to look, and the theoretical peak rates you could see under ideal observing conditions. This is a number known as the Zenithal Hourly Rate (<a href="https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-faq/#7">ZHR</a>).</p>
<p>Because the ZHR is the theoretical maximum rate you could see per hour, it is likely that the rates you observe will be lower. </p>
<p>For any meteor shower, if you want to give yourself the best chance to see a good display, it is worth trying to find a <a href="http://darksitefinder.com/map/">good dark site</a>, as far from light polluted skies as possible. Once you’re outside give yourself plenty of <a href="https://www.telescope.com/Articles/Equipment/Binoculars/Seeing-in-the-Dark/pc/9/c/192/sc/195/p/99833.uts">time to adapt to the darkness</a>, at least half an hour. Then just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.</p>
<p>Showers that can only really be seen from either the northern or southern hemisphere are denoted by [N] or [S], whilst those that can be seen from both are marked by [N/S].</p>
<blockquote>
<p>You can <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/810/TC_2020_meteor_shower_guide.zip?1576116275">download a ICS file</a> of this guide to add to your favourite calender.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2><a id="term-quadrantids"></a>Quadrantids [N]</h2>
<h3>Active: December 28 - January 12</h3>
<h3>Maximum: January 4, 8:20am UTC = 8:20am GMT = 3:20am EST = 12:20am PST</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 120 (variable, can reach ~200)</h3>
<h3>Parent: It’s complicated… (Comet <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/096p.html">96P/Macholz</a> and asteroid <a href="https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201322228" title="Meteor-shower complex of asteroid 2003 EH1 compared with that of comet 96P/Machholz">2003 EH1</a>)</h3>
<p>The Quadrantids are the first of the big three meteor showers of the year – the three showers that give fabulous displays with ZHRs in excess of 100, year in, year out. </p>
<p>For most of the fortnight over which the Quadrantids are active, rates are low - just a few meteors per hour. In the hours approaching their peak, rates climb rapidly, before falling away just as rapidly once the peak is past. In total, rates exceed a quarter of their maximum value for just eight hours, centred on the peak.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306016/original/file-20191210-95149-qmco12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306016/original/file-20191210-95149-qmco12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306016/original/file-20191210-95149-qmco12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306016/original/file-20191210-95149-qmco12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306016/original/file-20191210-95149-qmco12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306016/original/file-20191210-95149-qmco12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306016/original/file-20191210-95149-qmco12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306016/original/file-20191210-95149-qmco12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From Vancouver, as the Quadrantids reach their peak, the radiant is low to the horizon, but it moves higher in the east as dawn approaches [Vancouver midnight].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Quadrantid radiant is <a href="https://earthsky.org/space/what-are-circumpolar-stars">circumpolar (never sets)</a> for locations north of 40 degrees north. As a result, the shower can be observed throughout the hours of darkness for most locations in Europe and many in North America.</p>
<p>The radiant lies in the constellation <a href="https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/bootes-constellation/">Boötes</a>, the Herdsman, relatively near the tail of <a href="https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/ursa-major-constellation/">Ursa Major</a>, the Plough or Great Bear.</p>
<p>The radiant rises highest in the sky in the early hours of the morning, so this is when the best rates can be seen. In 2020, the shower’s peak favours observers in the east of North America, though those in northern Europe should see a good display in the hours before dawn on the morning of January 4.</p>
<p>If skies are clear it is definitely worth wrapping up warm and heading out to observe the most elusive of the year’s big three.</p>
<h2><a id="term-lyrids"></a>Lyrids [N/S; N preferred]</h2>
<h3>Active: April 14 – 30</h3>
<h3>Maximum: Variable – between April 21, 10:40pm UTC and April 22, 9:40am UTC (April 22 9:40am UTC = 4:40am EST = 1:40am PST)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 18 (variable, can reach ~90)</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/c-1861-g1-thatcher/in-depth/">Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher</a></h3>
<p>The Lyrids are a shower with a long and storied history – with records reporting their activity <a href="https://www.space.com/36550-history-lyrid-meteor-shower-2017.html">tracing back for millennia</a>. Researchers have even suggested the Lyrids may have been active on Earth for <a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1997MNRAS.289..721A/abstract" title="The mean orbit of the April Lyrids">more than a million years</a>.</p>
<p>In the distant past, there are reports the Lyrids produced some spectacular displays – meteor storms, with thousands of meteors visible per hour.</p>
<p>The modern Lyrids are usually more sedate, with peak rates rarely exceeding ~18 meteors per hour. But they do sometimes throw up the odd surprise. An outburst of the Lyrids in 1982 yielded rates of ~90 meteors per hour for a short period. </p>
<p>While no such outburst is forecast this year, the peak of the shower will occur just a day before a new Moon, so skies will be dark and viewing conditions ideal.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306017/original/file-20191210-95120-1ajzikc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306017/original/file-20191210-95120-1ajzikc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306017/original/file-20191210-95120-1ajzikc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306017/original/file-20191210-95120-1ajzikc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306017/original/file-20191210-95120-1ajzikc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306017/original/file-20191210-95120-1ajzikc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=635&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306017/original/file-20191210-95120-1ajzikc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=635&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306017/original/file-20191210-95120-1ajzikc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=635&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From the USA, the radiant is well placed from late evening through the morning hours [Chicago 11pm]</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although the Lyrids are best seen from the northern hemisphere, their radiant can reach a useful altitude for observers in the northern half of Australia. Keen observers might be tempted to head out in the early hours of the morning to watch. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306020/original/file-20191210-95153-8a4rjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306020/original/file-20191210-95153-8a4rjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306020/original/file-20191210-95153-8a4rjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306020/original/file-20191210-95153-8a4rjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306020/original/file-20191210-95153-8a4rjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306020/original/file-20191210-95153-8a4rjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306020/original/file-20191210-95153-8a4rjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306020/original/file-20191210-95153-8a4rjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Across Australia, the Lyrids are best seen in the hour before sunrise, when the radiant is at its highest [Brisbane, 5am].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The radiant rises during the night so the best rates are seen in the early hours of the morning, before dawn. From northern hemisphere sites, reasonable rates can be seen after about 10:30pm, local time -– but for those at southern hemisphere latitudes, the radiant fails to reach a reasonable altitude until well after midnight.</p>
<p>Lyrid meteors tend to be relatively fast and are often bright. Despite the relatively low rates (at least, compared to the big three) they are well worth a watch, especially as conditions this year will be as close to perfect as possible.</p>
<h2><a id="term-eta-aquariids"></a>Eta Aquariids [S]</h2>
<h3>Active: April 19 – May 28</h3>
<h3>Maximum: May 5, 9pm UTC = May 6, 7am AEST (Qld/NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas) = May 6, 4am AWST (WA) = May 6, 6am JST</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 50+</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/1p-halley/in-depth/">Comet 1P/Halley</a></h3>
<p>While not counted as one of the big three, in many ways the Eta Aquariids stand clear of the pack as the best of the rest.</p>
<p>Only really visible to observers in the tropics and the southern hemisphere, the Eta Aquariids are fragments of the most famous of comets –- Halley’s comet. They mark the first (and best) of two passages made by the Earth through the debris laid down by that comet over thousands of years –- with the other being the Orionids, in October.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306022/original/file-20191210-95111-1m2val2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306022/original/file-20191210-95111-1m2val2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306022/original/file-20191210-95111-1m2val2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306022/original/file-20191210-95111-1m2val2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306022/original/file-20191210-95111-1m2val2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306022/original/file-20191210-95111-1m2val2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=708&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306022/original/file-20191210-95111-1m2val2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=708&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306022/original/file-20191210-95111-1m2val2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=708&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Look to the east before sunrise and catch the Eta Aquariids along with Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars too [Melbourne 5am].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The radiant only rises a few hours before dawn, even at southern altitudes, and the further north you go, the closer to sunrise the radiant appears. This is what prevents northern hemisphere observers from taking advantage of the Eta Aquariids –- the Sun has risen by the time the radiant is high enough for the shower to put on a decent show.</p>
<p>The meteors are fast and often bright, and the brighter ones have a reputation for leaving behind noticeable smoky trains. The maximum of the shower is broad, with rates remaining above ~30 meteors per hour for the week around the date of the maximum.</p>
<p>It is well worth getting out to observe the Eta Aquariids at around the time their radiant rises. This gives the maximum amount of time to observe the shower before dawn, but in addition, those few meteors you observe when the radiant is sitting just above the horizon can be spectacular.</p>
<p>Known as Earthgrazers, such meteors enter the atmosphere at a very shallow angle, with the result that they can streak all the way across the sky, from horizon to horizon.</p>
<p>The Eta Aquariids reach their peak in 2020 a couple of days before the full Moon. That the radiant does not rise until a few hours before sunrise works to our advantage this year –- the shower’s radiant will rise at around the same time the Moon sets, so the shower can be observed in Moon-free skies, despite the proximity of the Full Moon.</p>
<h2><a id="term-perseids"></a>Perseids [N]</h2>
<h3>Active: July 17 – August 24</h3>
<h3>Maximum: August 12, 1pm - 4pm UTC = 3am - 6am HST = 10pm - August 13, 1am JST + filament passage ~3 hours before the main peak</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 110</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="https://cometography.com/pcomets/109p.html">Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle</a></h3>
<p>For northern hemisphere observers, the Perseids are perhaps the famous and reliable shower of the year.</p>
<p>While the Geminids offer higher rates, the Perseids fall during the middle of the northern summer, when families are often holidaying and the weather is warm and pleasant. As a result, the Perseids are the most widely observed of all meteor showers, and never fail to put on a spectacular show.</p>
<p>The parent comet of the Perseid meteor shower, 109P/Swift-Tuttle, was last at perihelion (closest to the Sun) in 1991. As a result, during the 1990s, the Perseids offered enhanced rates –- often displaying multiple peaks through the two or three days around their traditional maximum.</p>
<p>Those individual peaks were the result of the Earth passing through individual trails of material, laid down at past perihelion passages of the comet, which have not yet had time to fully disperse into the background of the shower as a whole.</p>
<p>It is now three decades since the comet’s last perihelion passage, but astronomers predict the Earth could well pass through one of those debris trails this year, at around 10am UTC (midnight Hawaii time, 3am Vancouver time), three hours before the normal forecast maximum for the shower.</p>
<p>As a result, peak rates should last for longer, and potentially reach higher values than would normally be expected from a typical Perseid return.</p>
<p>The radiant rises in the mid-evening from northern latitudes, which means the shower can be observed from around 10pm or 11pm, local time. The later in the night you look, the higher the radiant will be, and so the more meteors will be visible.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306023/original/file-20191210-95125-1vvbfup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306023/original/file-20191210-95125-1vvbfup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306023/original/file-20191210-95125-1vvbfup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306023/original/file-20191210-95125-1vvbfup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306023/original/file-20191210-95125-1vvbfup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306023/original/file-20191210-95125-1vvbfup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306023/original/file-20191210-95125-1vvbfup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306023/original/file-20191210-95125-1vvbfup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This year it’s best to catch the Perseids early in the evening before the Moon rises [Greenwich 9pm].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Unfortunately, the peak of the Perseids in 2020 falls two days after the last quarter Moon, which means moonlight will begin to interfere with the display in the early hours of the morning. The best views of the shower will likely be seen between ~10pm or 11pm local time and ~2am the following morning. </p>
<p>If you can only observe in the hours before dawn, all is not lost. The Perseids are famed for producing plenty of bright meteors. They are worth observing even when the Moon is above the horizon, particularly on the nights around the forecast peak.</p>
<h2><a id="term-orionids"></a>Orionids [N/S]</h2>
<h3>Active: October 2 – November 7</h3>
<h3>Maximum: October 21</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 20+</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/1p-halley/in-depth/">1P/Halley</a></h3>
<p>The Orionid meteor shower marks the second occasion the Earth encounters the stream of debris left behind by Halley’s comet each year. </p>
<p>In October, Earth passes farther from the centre of Halley’s debris stream than in May, with the result the observed rates for the Orionids are lower than for the Eta Aquariids. Despite this, the Orionids remain a treat for meteor enthusiasts in the northern autumn and southern spring.</p>
<p>The Orionids peak on October 21 but that maximum is often quite broad with activity hovering close to the peak rates for as much as a week around the maximum.</p>
<p>There is some evidence the peak rates vary over time, with a roughly 12 year periodicity, as a result of perturbations by the giant planet Jupiter (which orbits the Sun once every 12 years).</p>
<p>In the final years of the first decade of the 21st Century, the Orionids were markedly more active than expected, with maximum rates in the range 40-70. If the periodicity is real, then 12 years on from the peak of activity it is possible the Orionids will again put on a better than expected show.</p>
<p>So 2020 might well be an ideal year to look up and watch for fragments of Halley’s Comet vapourising high overhead.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306038/original/file-20191210-95159-c7448d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306038/original/file-20191210-95159-c7448d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306038/original/file-20191210-95159-c7448d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=625&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306038/original/file-20191210-95159-c7448d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=625&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306038/original/file-20191210-95159-c7448d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=625&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306038/original/file-20191210-95159-c7448d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=785&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306038/original/file-20191210-95159-c7448d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=785&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306038/original/file-20191210-95159-c7448d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=785&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Before dawn, Orion stands upright in the south as seen from the northern hemisphere [Vancouver 5am].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The radiant rises just before local midnight, meaning the meteors are best observed in the early hours of the morning. The radiant reaches its highest altitude in the hours before dawn. The Moon will not interfere this year, setting in the early evening, long before the radiant rises.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306039/original/file-20191210-95111-jwts67.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306039/original/file-20191210-95111-jwts67.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306039/original/file-20191210-95111-jwts67.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306039/original/file-20191210-95111-jwts67.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306039/original/file-20191210-95111-jwts67.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306039/original/file-20191210-95111-jwts67.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306039/original/file-20191210-95111-jwts67.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306039/original/file-20191210-95111-jwts67.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The view from the southern hemisphere finds Orion upside in the northern sky before sunrise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Observers watching the Orionids are in for an extra treat. While the Orionids are active, so too are the Northern and Southern Taurid meteor showers. Where the Orionids are fast meteors, Taurids are slow, and often bright and spectacular.</p>
<p>Although the rates of both the Northern and Southern Taurids are lower than those of the Orionids (typically just ~5 per hour), their activity makes observations of the Orionids even more productive and exciting.</p>
<h2><a id="term-geminids"></a>Geminids [N/S]</h2>
<h3>Active: December 4 – 17</h3>
<h3>Maximum: December 14, 12:50am UTC = 11:50am AEDT (NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas) = 8:50am AWST (WA) = 5:50pm EST (evening of December 13)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 150</h3>
<h3>Parent: Asteroid <a href="https://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/Phaethon/Phaethon_planning.2017.html">3200 Phaethon</a></h3>
<p>The Geminids, which peak in mid-December, are truly a case of saving the best until last. The biggest of the year’s big three, the Geminids have, over the past few decades, been growing ever more active and spectacular, with recent years seeing rates in excess of 150 per hour.</p>
<p>For observers in northern Europe, the radiant is above the horizon relatively soon after sunset, meaning that the Geminids can readily be observed from around 8pm onwards.</p>
<p>The further south you travel, the later in the evening the radiant rises. For observers in Australia, the times at which the radiant appears above the horizon can be seen below.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306495/original/file-20191212-85397-15utob8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306495/original/file-20191212-85397-15utob8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306495/original/file-20191212-85397-15utob8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306495/original/file-20191212-85397-15utob8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306495/original/file-20191212-85397-15utob8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306495/original/file-20191212-85397-15utob8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306495/original/file-20191212-85397-15utob8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306495/original/file-20191212-85397-15utob8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Geminid radiant rises at about the following times across Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As with all showers, the higher the radiant in the sky, the better the observed rates from the Geminids will be. The longer you watch, the better things will get.</p>
<p>Geminid meteors are of medium speed and often bright so they put on a spectacular show even in those years when moonlight interferes.</p>
<p>In 2020 the Moon will be new around this time so it will be possible to spend the entire night watching the Geminids without any interference from our nearest celestial neighbour.</p>
<p>The radiant reaches its highest at around 2am local time making the hours just after midnight the ideal time to catch the Geminids at their best.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306026/original/file-20191210-95138-jcektp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306026/original/file-20191210-95138-jcektp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306026/original/file-20191210-95138-jcektp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306026/original/file-20191210-95138-jcektp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306026/original/file-20191210-95138-jcektp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306026/original/file-20191210-95138-jcektp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=789&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306026/original/file-20191210-95138-jcektp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=789&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306026/original/file-20191210-95138-jcektp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=789&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Geminids will put on a show during the early hours of the December 14 [Perth 2am; Sydney 3am]</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Geminid peak is relatively broad -– with rates remaining high for at least 24 hours around the forecast maximum. Observers across the globe will be treated to a spectacular display from the shower in 2020. </p>
<p>So find a dark site, wrap up warm, and treat yourself to a night spent watching the year’s most spectacular display of natural fireworks.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125936/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A big year ahead for some of the meteor showers this year. Here’s your 2020 guide on when and where to look to catch nature’s fireworks.Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1068632018-12-31T21:07:59Z2018-12-31T21:07:59ZLook up! Your guide to some of the best meteor showers for 2019<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251105/original/file-20181217-185255-1g6x1vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The 2018 Geminids meteor shower recorded over two very cold hours on the slope of Mount Lütispitz, Switzerland.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lschlagenhauf/45425029645/">Flickr/Lukas Schlagenhauf</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The year gets off to a bang with the Quadrantids, the first of the annual big three <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">meteor showers</a>. Active while the Moon is new, it gives northern hemisphere observers a show to enjoy during the cold nights of winter. Sadly, the shower is not visible from southern skies.</p>
<p>The other two members of the big three — the Perseids and Geminids — are not so fortunate this year, with moonlight set to interfere and reduce their spectacle. </p>
<p>So, with that in mind, where and when should you observe to make the best of 2019’s meteoric offerings? Here we present the likely highlights for this year – the showers most likely to put on a good show.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">Explainer: why meteors light up the night sky</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We provide details of the full forecast activity period for each shower, and the forecast time of maximum. We also give sky charts, showing you where best to look, and give the theoretical peak rates that could be seen under ideal observing conditions – a number known as the Zenithal Hourly Rate, or <a href="https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-faq/#7">ZHR</a>.</p>
<p>It is important to note that the ZHR is the theoretical maximum number of meteors you would expect to see per hour for a given shower, unless it were to catch us by surprise with an unexpected outburst!</p>
<p>In reality, the rates you observe will be lower than the ZHR – but the clearer and darker your skies, and the higher the shower’s radiant in the sky, the closer you will come to this ideal value.</p>
<p>For any shower, to see the best rates, it is worth trying to find a <a href="http://darksitefinder.com/map/">good dark site (the darker the better)</a> – far from streetlights and other illuminations. Once you’re outside, give your eyes plenty of time to adapt to the dark - <a href="https://www.telescope.com/Articles/Equipment/Binoculars/Seeing-in-the-Dark/pc/9/c/192/sc/195/p/99833.uts">half an hour should do the trick</a>.</p>
<p>Showers that can only really be seen from one hemisphere or the other are denoted by either [N] or [S], while those that can be seen globally are marked as [N/S].</p>
<blockquote>
<p>You can <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/theconversation.com_e0dofqra13ht6g6stianlnhkvk%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics">download this ics file</a> and add to your calendar to stay informed on when the meteor showers are due.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2><a id="term-quadrantids"></a>Quadrantids [N]</h2>
<h3>Active: December 28 - January 12</h3>
<h3>Maximum: January 4, 2:20am UT = 2:20am GMT = 3:20am CET</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 120 (variable, can reach ~200)</h3>
<h3>Parent: It’s complicated (comet <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/096p.html">96P/Macholz</a> and asteroid <a href="https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201322228">2003 EH1</a>)</h3>
<p>Despite being one of this year’s three most active annual showers, the Quadrantids are often overlooked and under-observed. This is probably the result of their peak falling during the depths of the northern hemisphere winter, when the weather is often less than ideal for meteor observations.</p>
<p>For most of the fortnight they are active, Quadrantid rates are very low (less than five per hour). The peak itself is very short and sharp, far more so than for the year’s other major showers. As a result, rates exceed a quarter of the maximum ZHR for a period of just eight hours, centred on the peak time. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249566/original/file-20181210-72514-eqzq6w.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249566/original/file-20181210-72514-eqzq6w.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249566/original/file-20181210-72514-eqzq6w.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249566/original/file-20181210-72514-eqzq6w.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249566/original/file-20181210-72514-eqzq6w.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249566/original/file-20181210-72514-eqzq6w.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249566/original/file-20181210-72514-eqzq6w.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249566/original/file-20181210-72514-eqzq6w.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Quadrantid radiant lies in the northern constellation Boötes, relatively near the tail of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The radiant is shown here at around midnight, local time, as it begins to climb higher in the northeastern sky.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium, Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Quadrantid radiant lies in the northern constellation Boötes, the Herdsman, and is circumpolar (never sets) for observers poleward of 40 degrees north. As a result, observers in northern Europe and Canada can see Quadrantids at any time of night. The radiant is highest in the sky (and the rates are best) in the hours after midnight. </p>
<p>For this reason, this year’s peak (at 2:20am UT) is best suited for observers in northern Europe - and given that peak rates can exceed 100 per hour, it is certainly worth setting the alarm for, to get up in the cold early hours, and watch the spectacle unfold.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251110/original/file-20181217-185261-1gxrqy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251110/original/file-20181217-185261-1gxrqy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251110/original/file-20181217-185261-1gxrqy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251110/original/file-20181217-185261-1gxrqy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251110/original/file-20181217-185261-1gxrqy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251110/original/file-20181217-185261-1gxrqy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251110/original/file-20181217-185261-1gxrqy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251110/original/file-20181217-185261-1gxrqy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This false-color composite image shows a combination of Quadrantid and non-Quadrantid meteors streaking through the skies over NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, in the US, on the night of January 3-4, 2012.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NASA/MSFC/Meteoroid Environments Office/Danielle Moser and Bill Cooke</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2><a id="term-alpha-centaurids"></a>Alpha Centaurids [S]</h2>
<h3>Active: January 31 - February 20</h3>
<h3>Maximum: February 8, 1:00pm UT = February 8, 9pm (WA) = February 8, 11pm (Qld) = February 9, 12am (NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: Variable; typically 6, but can exceed 25</h3>
<h3>Parent: Unknown</h3>
<p>The Alpha Centaurids are a minor meteor shower, producing typical rates of just a few meteors per hour. But they are famed as a source of spectacular fireballs for southern hemisphere observers and so are worth keeping an eye out for in southern summer skies.</p>
<p>Alpha Centaurids are fast meteors, and are often bright. As with most showers that are only visible from the southern hemisphere, they remain poorly studied. Though typically yielding low rates, several outbursts have occurred where rates reached or exceeded 25 per hour. </p>
<p>The shower’s radiant lies close to the bright star Alpha Centauri – the closest naked-eye star to the Solar System and the third brightest star in the night sky.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250835/original/file-20181217-185258-a9sukf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250835/original/file-20181217-185258-a9sukf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250835/original/file-20181217-185258-a9sukf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250835/original/file-20181217-185258-a9sukf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250835/original/file-20181217-185258-a9sukf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250835/original/file-20181217-185258-a9sukf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250835/original/file-20181217-185258-a9sukf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250835/original/file-20181217-185258-a9sukf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Alpha Centaurids are well placed for the southern hemisphere. This view from Brisbane around the time of maximum activity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Alpha Centauri is just 30 degrees from the south celestial pole. As a result, the radiant essentially never sets for observers across Australia. The best rates will be seen from late evening onward, as the radiant rises higher into the southern sky. </p>
<p>This year, the peak of the Alpha Centaurids coincides with the New Moon, making it an ideal time to check out this minor but fascinating shower.</p>
<h2><a id="term-eta-aquariids"></a>Eta Aquariids [S preferred]</h2>
<h3>Active: April 19 - May 28</h3>
<h3>Maximum: May 6, 2pm UT = May 6, 10pm (WA) = May 7, 12am (Qld/NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas)</h3>
<h3>ZHR = 40+</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/001p.html">Comet 1P/Halley</a></h3>
<p>The Eta Aquariids are possibly the year’s most overlooked treat, particularly for observers in the southern hemisphere. The first of two annual showers produced by comet <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/001p.html">1P/Halley</a>, the Eta Aquariids produce excellent rates for a whole week around their peak.</p>
<p>The radiant rises in the early hours of the morning, after the forecast maximum time, and best rates are seen just as the sky starts to brighten with the light of dawn. It can be well worth rising early to observe them, as rates can climb as high as 40 to 50 meteors per hour before the brightening sky truncates the display.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250844/original/file-20181217-185255-1azxn7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250844/original/file-20181217-185255-1azxn7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250844/original/file-20181217-185255-1azxn7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250844/original/file-20181217-185255-1azxn7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250844/original/file-20181217-185255-1azxn7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250844/original/file-20181217-185255-1azxn7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=712&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250844/original/file-20181217-185255-1azxn7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=712&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250844/original/file-20181217-185255-1azxn7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=712&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Look for the Eta Aquariids before sunrise and catch Venus and Mercury too.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Eta Aquariid meteors are fast and often bright, and the shower regularly rewards those who are willing to rise early. Spectacular Earth-grazing meteors that tear from one side of the sky to the other can be seen shortly after the radiant rises above the horizon.</p>
<p>This year conditions are ideal to observe the shower, with New Moon falling on May 4, just two days before the forecast maximum. As a result, the whole week around the peak will be suitable for morning observing sessions, giving observers plenty of opportunity to see the fall of tiny fragments of the most famous of comets.</p>
<h2><a id="term-southern-delta-aquariids"></a>Southern Delta Aquariids, <a id="term-piscis-austrinids"></a>Piscis Austrinids and <a id="term-alpha-capricornids"></a>Alpha Capricornids [N/S; S favoured]</h2>
<h3>Active: Early-July to Mid-August</h3>
<h3>Maximum: July 28 - 30</h3>
<h3>Combined ZHR: 35</h3>
<h3>Parent: Comet <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/096p.html">96P/Macholz</a> (Southern Delta Aquariids); Unknown (Piscis Austrinids); Comet <a href="https://authors.library.caltech.edu/86156/1/1-s2.0-S0032063317304518-main.pdf">169P/NEAT</a> (Alpha Capricornids)</h3>
<p>In most years, the approach of August is heralded by keen meteor observers as the build up to the Perseids – the second of the year’s big three showers. This year, moonlight will interfere, spoiling them for most observers.</p>
<p>But this cloud comes with a silver lining. A fortnight or so before the peak of the Perseids, three relatively minor showers come together to provide an excellent mid-winter show for southern hemisphere observers. This year, the Moon is perfectly placed to allow their observation.</p>
<p>These three showers – the Southern Delta Aquariids, Alpha Capricornids and Pisces Austrinids – favour observers in the southern hemisphere, though they can also be observed from northern latitudes. </p>
<p>Regardless of your location, the best rates for these showers are seen in the hours after midnight. Reasonable rates begin to be visible for southern hemisphere observers as early as 10pm local time.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249571/original/file-20181210-72504-109hsrj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249571/original/file-20181210-72504-109hsrj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249571/original/file-20181210-72504-109hsrj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249571/original/file-20181210-72504-109hsrj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249571/original/file-20181210-72504-109hsrj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249571/original/file-20181210-72504-109hsrj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249571/original/file-20181210-72504-109hsrj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249571/original/file-20181210-72504-109hsrj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The radiants of the Southern Delta Aquariids, Alpha Capricornids and Piscis Austrinids ride high in the southern hemisphere sky around local midnight.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249573/original/file-20181210-72536-1muhwdq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249573/original/file-20181210-72536-1muhwdq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249573/original/file-20181210-72536-1muhwdq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249573/original/file-20181210-72536-1muhwdq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249573/original/file-20181210-72536-1muhwdq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249573/original/file-20181210-72536-1muhwdq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249573/original/file-20181210-72536-1muhwdq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249573/original/file-20181210-72536-1muhwdq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For northern hemisphere observers, the radiants of the same three showers sit low to the horizon around local midnight.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Southern Delta Aquariids are the most active of the three, producing up to 25 fast, bright meteors per hour at their peak, which spans the five days centred on July 30.</p>
<p>The Alpha Capricornids, by contrast, produce lower rates typically contributing just five meteors per hour. But where the Southern Delta Aquariids are fast, the Alpha Capricornids are very slow meteors and are often spectacular. </p>
<p>Like the Alpha Centaurids, in February, they have a reputation for producing large numbers of spectacular fireballs. This tendency to produce meteors that are both very bright and also slow moving makes them an excellent target for astrophotographers, as well as naked-eye observers.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251140/original/file-20181218-27767-1yffjjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251140/original/file-20181218-27767-1yffjjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251140/original/file-20181218-27767-1yffjjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251140/original/file-20181218-27767-1yffjjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251140/original/file-20181218-27767-1yffjjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251140/original/file-20181218-27767-1yffjjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251140/original/file-20181218-27767-1yffjjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251140/original/file-20181218-27767-1yffjjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An Alpha Capricornid meteor captured among the star trails in 2013.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreysullivan/21986263774/">Flickr/Jeff Sullivan</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2><a id="term-taurids"></a>Taurids [N/S]</h2>
<h3>Active: September 10 - December 10</h3>
<h3>Maxima: October 10 (Southern Taurids); November 13 (Northern Taurids)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 5 + 5</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/002p.html">Comet 2P/Encke</a></h3>
<p>The Taurids are probably the most fascinating of all the annual meteor showers. Though they only deliver relatively low rates (approximately five per hour from each of the two streams, north and south), they do so over an incredibly long period – three full months of activity. </p>
<p>In other words, the Earth spends a quarter of a year passing through the Taurid stream. In fact, we cross the stream again in June, when the meteors from the shower are lost due to it being exclusively visible in daylight. </p>
<p>So a third of our planet’s orbit is spent ploughing through a broad stream of debris, known as the Taurid stream. In total, the Taurid stream deposits more mass of meteoric material to our planet’s atmosphere than all of the other annual meteor showers combined.</p>
<p>So vast is the Taurid stream that there is speculation that it originated with the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/251.4.632">cataclysmic disintegration of a super-sized comet</a>, thousands or tens of thousands of years in the past, and that the current shower is a relic of that ancient event. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249578/original/file-20181210-76986-1letx58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249578/original/file-20181210-76986-1letx58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249578/original/file-20181210-76986-1letx58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249578/original/file-20181210-76986-1letx58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249578/original/file-20181210-76986-1letx58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249578/original/file-20181210-76986-1letx58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=657&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249578/original/file-20181210-76986-1letx58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=657&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249578/original/file-20181210-76986-1letx58.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=657&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The two Taurid radiants, as seen from northern Europe before dawn [Paris 6:30am, October 10]</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250918/original/file-20181217-185237-1nzz6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250918/original/file-20181217-185237-1nzz6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250918/original/file-20181217-185237-1nzz6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250918/original/file-20181217-185237-1nzz6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250918/original/file-20181217-185237-1nzz6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250918/original/file-20181217-185237-1nzz6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250918/original/file-20181217-185237-1nzz6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250918/original/file-20181217-185237-1nzz6tc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The November maximum will be hindered by the Moon, this view as seen from Melbourne during the early hours of November 13.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Taurid meteors are slow, and are often spectacularly bright. Like the Alpha Capricornids, they have a reputation for producing regular fireballs, making them another good target for the budding astrophotographer. </p>
<p>Rather than having a single, sharp peak, Taurid activity stays at, or close to, peak rates for the best part of a month, between the maxima of the northern and southern streams, meaning that it is always possible to find some time when moonlight does not interfere to observe the shower. </p>
<h2><a id="term-geminids"></a>Geminids [N/S]</h2>
<h3>Active: December 4 - December 17</h3>
<h3>Maximum: December 14, 6:40pm UT = December 15, 4:40am (Qld) = December 15, 5:40am (NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 140+</h3>
<h3>Parent: Asteroid <a href="https://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/Phaethon/Phaethon_planning.2017.html">3200 Phaethon</a></h3>
<p>Another of the big three annual meteor showers, the Geminids are probably the best, with peak rates in recent years exceeding 140 meteors per hour.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251106/original/file-20181217-185268-1wqem63.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251106/original/file-20181217-185268-1wqem63.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251106/original/file-20181217-185268-1wqem63.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251106/original/file-20181217-185268-1wqem63.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251106/original/file-20181217-185268-1wqem63.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251106/original/file-20181217-185268-1wqem63.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251106/original/file-20181217-185268-1wqem63.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251106/original/file-20181217-185268-1wqem63.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A composite image of the Geminids shower from the vantage point of Johnson Space Center, US.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasamarshall/46288430991/">NASA/Lauren Harnett</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Geminids are visible from both hemispheres – although the radiant rises markedly earlier for northern observers. Even in the south of Australia, the radiant rises well before midnight, giving all observers the rest of the night to enjoy the spectacle.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250916/original/file-20181217-185249-wj9zwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250916/original/file-20181217-185249-wj9zwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250916/original/file-20181217-185249-wj9zwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250916/original/file-20181217-185249-wj9zwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250916/original/file-20181217-185249-wj9zwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250916/original/file-20181217-185249-wj9zwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250916/original/file-20181217-185249-wj9zwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250916/original/file-20181217-185249-wj9zwx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Moon interferes with the Geminids, which radiate close to the bright star Castor. This view is from Perth in the hours before sunrise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Moonlight will seriously interfere with the peak of the shower this year, washing out the fainter meteors, with the result that observed rates will be lower than the ZHR might otherwise suggest. </p>
<p>But the shower regularly produces abundant bright meteors, and yields such high rates that it is still well worth checking out, even through the glare of the full Moon. </p>
<h2><a id="term-ursids"></a>Ursids [N]</h2>
<h3>Active: December 17 - December 26</h3>
<h3>Maximum: December 23, 3:00am UT</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 10+</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/008p.html">Comet 8P/Tuttle</a></h3>
<p>The final shower of the year – the Ursids – is a treat for northern hemisphere observers alone. Much like the shower that started our journey through the year, the Quadrantids, the Ursids remain poorly observed, often lost to the bleak midwinter weather that plagues many northern latitudes.</p>
<p>But if skies are clear the Ursids are visible throughout the night, as their radiant lies just 12 degrees from the north celestial pole. As such, they make a tempting target for observers to check out in the evening, even if the radiant is at its highest in the early hours of the morning.</p>
<p>Most years, the Ursids are a relatively minor shower, with peak rates rarely exceeding ten meteors per hour. They have thrown up a few surprises over the past century, with occasional outbursts of moderately-fast meteors yielding rates up to, and in excess of, a hundred meteors per hour.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249577/original/file-20181210-76971-1drjl8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249577/original/file-20181210-76971-1drjl8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249577/original/file-20181210-76971-1drjl8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249577/original/file-20181210-76971-1drjl8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249577/original/file-20181210-76971-1drjl8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249577/original/file-20181210-76971-1drjl8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249577/original/file-20181210-76971-1drjl8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249577/original/file-20181210-76971-1drjl8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Ursid radiant, in the constellation Ursa Minor, is circumpolar for almost the entire northern hemisphere, as it lies just 12 degrees from the north celestial pole. It is shown here as it would be seen at 11pm from near Tokyo, Japan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While no such outburst is predicted for 2019, the Ursids have proven to be a shower with a surprise or two left to show and so may just prove to be an exciting way to end the meteoric year.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>If you have a good photo of any of this year’s meteor showers that you’d like to share with The Conversation’s readers then please send it to <a href="mailto:readerspic@theconversation.edu.au">readerspic@theconversation.edu.au</a>. Please include your full name and the location the photo (or any composite) was taken.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106863/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Moonlight will spoil some of the big meteor showers this year, but still plenty of others to see. So here’s your guide on when and where to look to catch nature’s fireworks.Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1085972018-12-13T04:34:18Z2018-12-13T04:34:18ZWe have a Christmas comet: how to spot 2018’s interplanetary bauble<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250388/original/file-20181213-110240-njqdr1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=423%2C414%2C637%2C469&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Comet 46P/Wirtanen captured on November 15 this year using the remote iTelescope (Siding Springs Observatory, Australia).</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rvr/44146031540/">Flickr/Victor R Ruiz</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>We’re in for a pre-Christmas treat this weekend, as the cosmos entertains us with two equally exciting gifts: the <a href="https://theconversation.com/look-up-your-guide-to-some-of-the-best-meteor-showers-for-2018-86053">Geminid meteor shower</a> and the interplanetary comet <a href="https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?ID=c00046_0;">46P/Wirtanen</a>.</p>
<p>The Geminids are actually an annual event. But the comet is a less frequent visitor, making a very close approach to Earth this year.</p>
<p>So what makes 46P/Wirtanen so special, and when can we see this comet hurtling across our skies?</p>
<h2>Comets in orbits</h2>
<p>Comets come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with the infamous <a href="https://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-comet-hale-bopp">Hale-Bopp comet</a> roughly 120 kilometres across. Comet 46P/Wirtanen is much smaller: just 1.2km across.</p>
<p>Most comets, predominately made from dust and ices, spend the majority of their life within the <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/oort-cloud/overview/">Oort cloud</a>. The Oort cloud is a spherical shell of icy objects that surrounds our Solar system, far beyond the orbits of the main planets.</p>
<p>Some comets are in elliptical orbits that periodically bring them closer to the Sun.</p>
<p>But 46P/Wirtanen’s orbit doesn’t extend out to the Oort cloud. It’s known as a Jupiter-orbiting comet, one whose orbit only extends as far as Jupiter’s.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250391/original/file-20181213-110237-1e9p9yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250391/original/file-20181213-110237-1e9p9yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250391/original/file-20181213-110237-1e9p9yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250391/original/file-20181213-110237-1e9p9yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250391/original/file-20181213-110237-1e9p9yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250391/original/file-20181213-110237-1e9p9yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250391/original/file-20181213-110237-1e9p9yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250391/original/file-20181213-110237-1e9p9yw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">46P/Wirtanen’s home is very different to other comets, residing within the inner-regions of our Solar system.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jake Clark</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Having a close-in orbit has its benefits, including a shorter orbit – so 46P/Wirtanen whizzes past Earth every five and a half years. Compare that with <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/comets/1p-halley/in-depth/">Halley’s comet</a>, last seen at close quarters in 1986, and whose next encounter with Earth is scheduled for 2061.</p>
<h2>A tale of two tails</h2>
<p>Our festive 46P/Wirtanen’s anatomy is no different to any other comet, having a nucleus (the ball of dust and ices), a coma (the fuzzy atmosphere surrounding the nucleus), and the iconic tails residing behind it. </p>
<p>Comets have two distinctively different tails. As comets travel closer towards the Sun, the volatiles (gas, ice with low boiling points) within the comet start to heat up and evaporate, causing these iconic streaming tails to follow behind the comet.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250371/original/file-20181213-110231-sfdws7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250371/original/file-20181213-110231-sfdws7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250371/original/file-20181213-110231-sfdws7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=817&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250371/original/file-20181213-110231-sfdws7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=817&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250371/original/file-20181213-110231-sfdws7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=817&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250371/original/file-20181213-110231-sfdws7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1027&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250371/original/file-20181213-110231-sfdws7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1027&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250371/original/file-20181213-110231-sfdws7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1027&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Comet Lovejoy as seen on the International Space Station. The Ion tail is the straighter of the two tails, with the dust tail leaning towards the left in this image.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-30/html/iss030e015472.html">NASA/Dan Burbank</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The straighter and bluer tail is caused by energised charged particles from the Sun, known as the solar wind, interacting with gas within the comet’s coma. This interaction causes gas to ionise and be swept away from the sheer force of our Sun’s immense magnetic field. </p>
<p>Because these particles are following the Sun’s magnetic field lines, this tail will always point directly away from the Sun.</p>
<p>Dust from the coma and nucleus can be carried away just by the pressure from the Sun’s radiation, causing the fuzzier and more iconic dust tail streaming behind a glowing comet. </p>
<p>Comet 46P/Wirtanen will be no different this weekend as it streams across our night sky.</p>
<h2>A close encounter</h2>
<p>Comet 46P/Wirtanen is a periodical comet (that’s where the P in its name comes from) that took almost 12 months to confirm its existence after its discovery on January 17, 1948, by American astronomer Carl Wirtanen.</p>
<p>Even though the comet whizzes pass Earth’s orbit every five and a half years, due to the nature of celestial orbits and geometry, its brightness in the night sky during its closest approach will vary from visit to visit.</p>
<p>This weekend is a real treat, with 46P/Wirtanen making its closest and brightest approach to Earth for years, a mere 11 million kilometres away. It won’t come this close again until 2038.</p>
<h2>Where and when to look</h2>
<p>Even with its small stature, 46P/Wirtanen’s visible coma will extend near to a million kilometres and can be seen from Earth.</p>
<p>Astronomers have optimistically predicted that the comet might even be bright enough to see in an urban backyard, with an expected <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P8Veb_AlJ0">magnitude</a> between 4 to 3. For reference, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-stories-behind-aboriginal-star-names-now-recognised-by-the-worlds-astronomical-body-87617">Ginan</a>, the fifth-brightest star in the southern cross (the star just off centre) has a magnitude of 4.</p>
<p>This brightness, however, will be dispersed over an expected area three times the size of the full Moon at its closest point to Earth. Time to dust off your binoculars prior to Saturday’s flyby – these will be the perfect tool to observe 46P/Wirtanen. </p>
<p>Rural and regional Australians are in prime position to witness 46P/Wirtanen, having darker, cleaner skies than those living in cities and suburban hubs. If you can, head out to a <a href="https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=4&lat=-3010309&lon=15247159&layers=B0FFFFTFFFF">dark sky</a>, grab your deckchair and enjoy the celestial displays of our cosmic backyard. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250365/original/file-20181213-110249-d13xn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250365/original/file-20181213-110249-d13xn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/250365/original/file-20181213-110249-d13xn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250365/original/file-20181213-110249-d13xn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250365/original/file-20181213-110249-d13xn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250365/original/file-20181213-110249-d13xn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=681&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250365/original/file-20181213-110249-d13xn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=681&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/250365/original/file-20181213-110249-d13xn6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=681&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The night sky in regional Queensland at 10pm on December 15. 46P/Wirtanen’s position is shown as the red cross-hairs (above, right) and will be nearing the ecliptic plane between the Plediades star cluster and Aldebaran.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stellarium Team</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But, where to look?</p>
<p>Currently 46P/Wirtanen is between the warm giant stars Menkar and the eye of Turaus, Aldebaran – a red giant left of Betelguese. It’ll slowly make its way towards the Pleiades cluster and at its closest approach will be roughly between Pleiades and Aldebaran, nearing the ecliptic. </p>
<p>As a rough guide around Australia, in the late evening (10-11pm) look just east of true north, about 20-35 degrees above the horizon and you’ll find Pleiades (the Seven Sisters) and Aldebaran.</p>
<h2>Weekend of cosmic treats</h2>
<p>So what of the other celestial event happening in our backyards this weekend? The frail debris from asteroid 3200 Phaethon creates the Geminids meteor shower that can be seen in both the northern and southern hemispheres in early to mid-December each year.</p>
<p>More than 100 meteors an hour can potentially be seen at the showers peak this Friday night and Saturday morning. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The consistent and spectacular Geminids in the early morning sky (Brisbane 4am).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Coincidentally, you won’t need to stray too far from 46P/Wirtanen’s sky location, with, the Geminids radiant being only 30 degrees away from the Orion constellation.</p>
<p>What a truly spectacular way to finish off 2018.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/108597/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jake Clark is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship.</span></em></p>The comet 46P/Wirtanen is just 1.2km in size but it should be visible in the night sky this Saturday as it makes a close approach to Earth this year. And don’t forget the Geminids meteor shower.Jake Clark, PhD Candidate, University of Southern QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1009822018-08-07T13:06:42Z2018-08-07T13:06:42ZHow ancient cultures explained comets and meteors<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230771/original/file-20180806-34489-1u9mavr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/scientific-background-bright-comet-dark-blue-238563268?src=yNSHHz2wUzFpegKdoINhlQ-1-15">IgorZh/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Comets and meteors have fascinated the human race since they were first spotted in the night sky. But without science and space exploration to aid understanding of what these <a href="https://www.universetoday.com/100075/infographic-whats-the-difference-between-a-comet-asteroid-and-meteor/">chunks of rock and ice are</a>, ancient cultures often turned to myth and legend to explain them.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/002182860703800203">Greeks and Romans believed</a> that the appearance of comets, meteors and meteor showers were portentous. They were signs that something good or bad had happened or was about to happen. The arrival of a comet could herald the birth of a great figure, and some people have even argued that the star in the sky which the Persian Magi followed to Bethlehem to see the newborn Jesus <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-can-science-tell-us-about-the-star-of-bethlehem-51773">was actually a comet</a>. </p>
<p>In the spring of 44BC, a comet that appeared was interpreted as <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/20786572">a sign of the deification</a> of Julius Caesar, <a href="https://www.ancient.eu/article/803/the-murder-of-julius-caesar/">following his murder</a>. Caesar’s adopted son Octavian (soon to be the Emperor Augustus) made much of the comet, which burned in the sky during the funerary games held for Caesar. This portentous event was frequently celebrated in the ancient sources. In his epic poem, the Aeneid, Virgil <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/228/228-h/228-h.htm#link2HCH0006">describes how</a> “a star appeared in the daytime, and Augustus persuaded people to believe it was Caesar”.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230782/original/file-20180806-191019-vbe9q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230782/original/file-20180806-191019-vbe9q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230782/original/file-20180806-191019-vbe9q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=294&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230782/original/file-20180806-191019-vbe9q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=294&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230782/original/file-20180806-191019-vbe9q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=294&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230782/original/file-20180806-191019-vbe9q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230782/original/file-20180806-191019-vbe9q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230782/original/file-20180806-191019-vbe9q1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Caesar’s comet, depicted on a denarius coin.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:S0484.4.jpg">Wikimedia/Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Augustus celebrated the comet and the deification of his father on coins (it did help to be the son of a god when trying to rule the Roman Empire), and many examples survive today. </p>
<h2>Meteor showers</h2>
<p>The Roman historian Cassius Dio referred to “<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=cm6PBAAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PR110&lpg=RA1-PR110&dq=cassius+dio+%22comet+stars%22&source=bl&ots=CFyYIEOB-6&sig=jto_KSWb_F8uuypw98O-Awfu_QM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj08sD5lNjcAhUUVsAKHRv6BgMQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=cassius%20dio%20%22comet%20stars%22&f=false">comet stars</a>” occurring in August 30BC. These are mentioned as among the portents witnessed <a href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1978JRASC..72...81B">after the death of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra</a>. Experts are not entirely sure what it means when Dio uses the plural term “comet stars”, but some have connected this recorded event to the annual Perseid meteor shower.</p>
<p>Though it retains an ancient Greek name, <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-the-august-night-sky-lights-up-with-the-perseid-meteor-shower-63794">we now know</a> that the arrival of the Perseid meteor shower every August is actually the Earth’s orbit passing through debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230781/original/file-20180806-191044-vjvsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230781/original/file-20180806-191044-vjvsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230781/original/file-20180806-191044-vjvsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=671&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230781/original/file-20180806-191044-vjvsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=671&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230781/original/file-20180806-191044-vjvsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=671&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230781/original/file-20180806-191044-vjvsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=843&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230781/original/file-20180806-191044-vjvsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=843&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230781/original/file-20180806-191044-vjvsho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=843&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Perseus flees after cutting off Medusa’s head in this water jar depiction.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?partid=1&assetid=980386001&objectid=461872">British Museum</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The meteor shower is named for the Perseidai (Περσείδαι), who were the sons of the ancient Greek hero Perseus. Perseus was a legendary figure with a fine family pedigree – he was the mythical son of Zeus and Argive princess Danaë (she of the golden rain). Perseus <a href="http://earthsky.org/constellations/cassiopeia-and-perseus-in-northeast-on-october-evenings">earned himself a constellation</a> after a number of epic adventures across the Mediterranean and Near East that included the frequently illustrated <a href="https://www.ancient.eu/Medusa/">murder of the Gorgon sister, Medusa</a>.</p>
<p>Another of Perseus’s celebrated acts was <a href="https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/Metamorph4.php#anchor_Toc64106270">the rescue of the princess Andromeda</a>. Abandoned by her parents to placate a sea monster, the princess was found by Perseus on a rock by the ocean. He married her and they went on to have seven sons and two daughters. Sky watchers believed that the constellation Perseus, located just beside Andromeda in the night sky, was the origin of the shooting stars they could see every summer, and so the name Perseid stuck. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230789/original/file-20180806-191022-c0ioa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230789/original/file-20180806-191022-c0ioa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230789/original/file-20180806-191022-c0ioa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=711&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230789/original/file-20180806-191022-c0ioa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=711&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230789/original/file-20180806-191022-c0ioa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=711&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230789/original/file-20180806-191022-c0ioa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=893&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230789/original/file-20180806-191022-c0ioa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=893&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230789/original/file-20180806-191022-c0ioa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=893&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wall painting from Pompeii, representing Perseus rescuing Andromeda.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Museo_Nazionale_Napoli_Perseus_And_Andromeda.jpg">Wikimedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Tears and other traditions</h2>
<p>In Christian tradition the Perseid meteor shower has long been <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/in-august-watch-this-meteor-shower-named-for-a-saint-62501">connected to the martyrdom of St Lawrence</a>. Laurentius was a deacon in the early church at Rome, martyred in the year 258AD, during the <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1SOQBAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">persecutions of the Emperor Valerian</a>. The martyrdom supposedly took place on August 10, when the meteor shower was at its height, and so the shooting stars are equated to the saint’s tears. </p>
<p>Detailed records of astronomical events and sky watching can be found in historical texts from the Far East too. Ancient and medieval records from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0146636477900019">China</a>, <a href="http://cds.cern.ch/record/815141/files/0501216.pdf">Korea</a> and Japan have all been found to contain detailed accounts of meteor showers. Sometimes these different sources <a href="http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1958SCoA....2..131I&classic=YES">can be correlated</a>, which has allowed astronomers to track, for example, the impact of Halley’s comet on ancient societies both east and west. These sources have also been used to find the <a href="http://adsbit.harvard.edu//full/1958SCoA....2..131I/0000139.000.html">first recorded observation</a> of the Perseid meteor shower as a specific event, in Han Chinese records of 36AD.</p>
<p>Though the myths and legends may make one think that ancient civilisations had little scientific understanding of what meteors, comets and asteroids could be, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The early astronomers of the Near East, those who created the <a href="https://www.staff.science.uu.nl/%7Egent0113/babylon/babycal.htm">Babylonian</a> and <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/985113">Egyptian calendars</a>, and astronomical data were – by far – the most advanced in antiquity. And a <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/160128-math-geometry-babylon-jupiter-astronomy-space/">recent study of ancient cuneiform texts</a> has proven that the Babylonian ability to track comets, planetary movements and sky events as far back as the first millennium BC involved a much more complex geometry than had been previously believed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100982/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eve MacDonald does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Without the scientific knowledge we have today, ancient cultures turned to myths and legends to understand celestial objects.Eve MacDonald, Lecturer in Ancient History, Cardiff UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/860532017-12-31T14:17:59Z2017-12-31T14:17:59ZLook up! Your guide to some of the best meteor showers for 2018<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199879/original/file-20171219-27547-1w0do8h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The 2017 Geminids as seen from Ecuador, against the backdrop of the splendid Milky Way (centre) and the Large Magellanic Cloud (right).</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ecuadordave/38237384725/">Flickr/David Meyer</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>This year gets off to a relatively slow start when it comes to seeing the annual major meteor showers.</p>
<p>The Quadrantids, one of the big three annual showers, are lost to the vagaries of the full Moon in early January. </p>
<p>But the year’s other two most active annual showers – the Perseids (in August) and Geminids (in December) – are set to put on fine displays. </p>
<p>So when and where should you look to have the best chance of seeing <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">nature’s fireworks</a>?</p>
<p>Here we present the likely meteoric highlights of 2018. These are the meteor showers most likely to put on a good show this year.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/stars-that-vary-in-brightness-shine-in-the-oral-traditions-of-aboriginal-australians-85833">Stars that vary in brightness shine in the oral traditions of Aboriginal Australians</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>For each shower, we give the forecast activity period and the predicted time of maximum. We also provide charts showing you where to look, and give the peak rates that could be seen under perfect conditions (known as the maximum Zenithal Hourly Rate, or ZHR). </p>
<p>The actual rate you see will always be lower than this value - but the higher a shower’s radiant in the sky and the darker the conditions, the closer the observed rate will get to this ideal value.</p>
<p>To see the best rates it is well worth trying to <a href="http://darksitefinder.com/map/">find a good dark site</a>, far from street lights. Once outside, make sure to give your eyes plenty of time to adapt to the darkness (<a href="https://www.telescope.com/Articles/Equipment/Binoculars/Seeing-in-the-Dark/pc/9/c/192/sc/195/p/99833.uts">at least half an hour</a>).</p>
<p>Showers that can only be seen from one hemisphere are denoted by either [N] or [S], with those that can be seen globally marked as [N/S]. </p>
<h2>Lyrids [N/S; N favoured]</h2>
<h3>Active: April 14-30</h3>
<h3>Maximum: April 22, 6pm UT = April 23, 2am AWST (WA) = 4am AEST (QLD/NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 18+</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=14zKCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA80&lpg=PA80&dq=comet+thatcher&source=bl&ots=JDPIo8sePG&sig=_v5sM9Y7oPo9fWJmn_RHphpDTRs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwis79LG05XYAhXCVZQKHWkwDSA4FBDoAQguMAE#v=onepage&q=comet%20thatcher&f=false">Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)</a></h3>
<p>The Lyrids hold the record for the shower with the longest recorded history, having been observed since <a href="https://www.space.com/36550-history-lyrid-meteor-shower-2017.html">at least 687BC</a>.</p>
<p>That longevity is linked to the orbit of the Lyrid’s parent comet, discovered in 1861 by A. E. Thatcher. Comet Thatcher moves on a highly inclined, eccentric orbit, swinging through the inner Solar system every 415 years or so. Its most recent approach to Earth was in 1861.</p>
<p>Compared with many other comets, Thatcher’s orbit is relatively stable, as the only planet with which it can experience close encounters is Earth. This means the meteors it sheds continue to follow roughly the same orbit. </p>
<p>Over the millennia, that shed debris has spread all around the comet’s vast orbit, meaning that for thousands of years, every time Earth intersects Comet Thatcher’s orbit, the Lyrids have been seen, as regular as clockwork.</p>
<p>One study of the orbits of Lyrid meteors even suggests the shower may have been active for <a href="http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1997MNRAS.289..721A">at least a million years</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199373/original/file-20171215-26009-1rz2nbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199373/original/file-20171215-26009-1rz2nbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199373/original/file-20171215-26009-1rz2nbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199373/original/file-20171215-26009-1rz2nbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199373/original/file-20171215-26009-1rz2nbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199373/original/file-20171215-26009-1rz2nbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199373/original/file-20171215-26009-1rz2nbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199373/original/file-20171215-26009-1rz2nbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Across Australia, the Lyrids are best seen an hour before sunrise, when the radiant is at its highest [Brisbane 5am].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These days, the Lyrids are usually a moderately active shower, producing somewhere between 10 and 20 fast, bright meteors per hour at their peak. Occasionally, though, the Lyrids have thrown up a surprise, with rates climbing far higher for a period of several hours. </p>
<p>The best of those outbursts seem to occur every 60 years or so, with the most recent occurring in 1982 when observed rates reached or exceeded 90 per hour. </p>
<p>No such outburst is predicted for 2018, but even in quiet years, the Lyrids are still a fun shower to observe. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199376/original/file-20171215-17869-py3oy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199376/original/file-20171215-17869-py3oy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199376/original/file-20171215-17869-py3oy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199376/original/file-20171215-17869-py3oy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199376/original/file-20171215-17869-py3oy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199376/original/file-20171215-17869-py3oy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=635&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199376/original/file-20171215-17869-py3oy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=635&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199376/original/file-20171215-17869-py3oy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=635&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From the USA, the radiant is well placed from late evening until early morning [Chicago 11pm].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>They are best seen from northern latitudes, but their radiant is far enough south for observers throughout Australia to observe them in the hours before dawn. </p>
<p>For observers at mid-northern latitudes, the Lyrid radiant reaches suitable altitude by about 11pm local time. Viewers in the southern hemisphere have to wait until the early hours of the morning before reasonable rates can be observed.</p>
<p>The forecast time of maximum this year favours observers in Australia and east Asia but the timing of maximum has been known to vary somewhat, so observers around the globe will likely be keeping their eyes peeled, just in case!</p>
<h2>Perseids [N]</h2>
<h3>Active: July 17 - August 24</h3>
<h3>Maximum: August 12, 8pm UT - August 13, 8am UT = from August 12, 9pm BST (UK) = 10pm CEST (Europe) = 6pm EDT (East Coast, US) = 3pm PDT (West Coast, US) for 12 hours</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 110</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://www.planetsedu.com/comet/swift-tuttle/">Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle</a></h3>
<p>For observers in the northern hemisphere, the Perseids are a spectacular summer highlight. At their peak, rates often reach or exceed 100 meteors per hour, and they are famed for their frequent spectacular fireballs. </p>
<p>The Perseids are probably the best known and most widely observed of all modern meteor showers. They are remarkably consistent, with peak rates usually visible for a couple of evenings, and fall in the middle of the northern hemisphere summer holiday season. The warm nights and frequent clear skies at that time of year make the shower a real favourite!</p>
<p>Like the Lyrids, the Perseids have a long and storied history, having been observed for at least 2,000 years. Their parent comet, 109P/Swift-Tuttle, is a behemoth, with the largest nucleus of the known periodic comets - some 26km in diameter.</p>
<p>It has likely moved on its current orbit for tens of thousands of years, all the time laying down the debris that gives us our annual Perseid extravaganza. It will next swing past Earth in 2126 when it will be a spectacular naked eye object.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199382/original/file-20171215-17848-4xam1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199382/original/file-20171215-17848-4xam1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199382/original/file-20171215-17848-4xam1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199382/original/file-20171215-17848-4xam1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199382/original/file-20171215-17848-4xam1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199382/original/file-20171215-17848-4xam1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199382/original/file-20171215-17848-4xam1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199382/original/file-20171215-17848-4xam1u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From the UK, the Perseids radiant is visible all night and summer is the perfect time for meteor watching [Greenwich 9pm].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This year the forecast maximum for the Perseids favours observers in Europe, although given the length of peak activity, any location in the northern hemisphere has the potential to see a spectacular show on the night of August 12. </p>
<p>But don’t despair if it’s cloudy that night, as the Perseids have a relatively broad period of peak activity, meaning that good rates can be seen for a few days either side of their peak. </p>
<p>In 2018, the peak of the Perseid shower coincides with the New Moon, and so is totally unaffected by moonlight, which makes this an ideal year to observe the shower.</p>
<p>The further north you are, the earlier the shower’s radiant will be visible. But reasonable rates can typically be seen any time after about 10pm, local time. The later in the night you observe, the better the rates will be, as the radiant climbs higher into the sky.</p>
<p>It is not uncommon for enthusiastic observers to watch the shower until dawn on the night of maximum, seeing several hundred meteors in a single night.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199876/original/file-20171219-27562-s59mse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199876/original/file-20171219-27562-s59mse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199876/original/file-20171219-27562-s59mse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199876/original/file-20171219-27562-s59mse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199876/original/file-20171219-27562-s59mse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199876/original/file-20171219-27562-s59mse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199876/original/file-20171219-27562-s59mse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199876/original/file-20171219-27562-s59mse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A fantastic Perseids display from 2016 over Austria.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_karrer/4910137746/">Flickr/Michael Karrer</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Draconids [N]</h2>
<h3>Active: October 6-10</h3>
<h3>Maximum: October 9, 12:10am UT = 1:10am BST (UK) = 2:10am CEST (Europe)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 10+</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/021p.html">Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner</a></h3>
<p>The Draconids are a fascinating meteor shower, although in most years, somewhat underwhelming. Unlike the previous showers, the Draconids are a relatively young meteor shower that can vary dramatically from one year to the next. </p>
<p>First observed less than a century ago, the Draconids (also known as the Giaocobinids) are tied to a <a href="http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/J/Jupiter-family+Comets">Jupiter-family comet</a> called <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/21pgiacobinizinner/indepth">21P/Giacobini-Zinner</a>. </p>
<p>That comet was the first to be visited by a spacecraft, and has frequent close encounters with Jupiter, which continually nudges its orbit around. These encounters also perturb the meteor stream the comet is laying down, sometimes enhancing rates at Earth and sometimes diminishing them.</p>
<p>In the early 20th century, it was realised that Comet Giacobini-Zinner’s orbit comes close enough to Earth that we might be able to see meteors as we plough through the debris it leaves behind.</p>
<p>This led to the first predictions of Draconid activity. Sure enough, in 1920, the great meteor observer <a href="http://hyperion2.cc.uregina.ca/%7Eastro/DEN/short_bio.pdf">W. F. Denning</a> confirmed the existence of the shower, with a mere five meteors observed between October 6 and October 9.</p>
<p>In 1933 and 1946, the Draconids produced two of the greatest meteor displays of the 20th century - great storms, with peak rates of several thousand meteors per hour. In those years, Earth crossed the comet’s orbit just a month or two after the comet passed through perihelion (closest approach to the Sun), and Earth ploughed through dense material in the comet’s wake.</p>
<p>After 1946, the Draconids went quiet, all but vanishing from our skies. Jupiter had swung the comet onto a less favourable orbit. Only a few Draconids were seen in 1972, then again in 1985 and 1998.</p>
<p>The late 1990s saw a renaissance in our ability to predict and understand meteor showers, born of <a href="https://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/history.html">enhanced activity exhibited by the Leonid meteor shower</a>. Using the techniques developed to study the Leonids, astronomers predicted enhanced activity from the Draconids in 2011, and the predicted outburst duly occurred, with rates of around 300 meteors per hour being observed.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199385/original/file-20171215-17878-ljdv6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199385/original/file-20171215-17878-ljdv6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199385/original/file-20171215-17878-ljdv6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199385/original/file-20171215-17878-ljdv6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199385/original/file-20171215-17878-ljdv6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199385/original/file-20171215-17878-ljdv6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199385/original/file-20171215-17878-ljdv6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199385/original/file-20171215-17878-ljdv6c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Europe is well placed to catch some Draconids streaming from the eye of the dragon, near the star Rastaban [Paris 12:30am].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This year comet Giacobini-Zinner once again passes through perihelion and swings close to Earth’s orbit. The chances are good that the shower will be active - albeit unlikely to produce a spectacular storm. </p>
<p>Modelling suggests that rates of 20 to 50 faint meteors per hour might be seen around 12:14am UT on October 9. Other models suggest that rates will peak about 45 minutes earlier, with lower rates of 15 to 20. </p>
<p>The Draconid radiant is circumpolar (that is, it never sets) for locations north of 44°N, and is highest in the sky before midnight. This year, the Moon is new at the time of the forecast peak, which is ideally timed for observers in Europe.</p>
<p>If skies are clear that evening, it is well worth heading out at around 11:30pm BST on October 8 (12:30am CEST on October 9) and spending a couple of hours staring north, just in case the Draconids put on another spectacular show.</p>
<h2>Taurids [N/S]</h2>
<h3>Active: September 10 - December 10</h3>
<h3>Maxima: October 10 (Southern Taurids); November 12 (Northern Taurids)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 5 + 5</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/002p.html">Comet 2P/Encke</a></h3>
<p>Of all the year’s meteor showers, the one that dumps the greatest amount of dust into Earth’s atmosphere are the Taurids. The inner Solar system contains a vast swathe of debris known as the Taurid stream. It is so spread out that Earth spends a quarter of the year passing through it. </p>
<p>In June, that debris spawns the Daytime Taurid meteor shower, which (as the name suggests) occurs during daylight hours, and is only really known thanks to radio observations. </p>
<p>After leaving the stream for a little while, Earth penetrates it again at the start of September, and activity continues right through until December. Hourly rates fluctuate up and down, with several distinct peaks and troughs through October and November.</p>
<p>The Taurid stream is complex - with at least two main components, known as the northern and southern branches. Typically, the Southern Taurids are active a little earlier in the year and reach their peak about a month before the northern branch. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199865/original/file-20171219-27557-a0vuay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199865/original/file-20171219-27557-a0vuay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199865/original/file-20171219-27557-a0vuay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199865/original/file-20171219-27557-a0vuay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199865/original/file-20171219-27557-a0vuay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199865/original/file-20171219-27557-a0vuay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=657&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199865/original/file-20171219-27557-a0vuay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=657&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199865/original/file-20171219-27557-a0vuay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=657&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">During northern autumn, the Taurids can be seen radiating from the western sky before dawn [Paris 6:30am October 10].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199866/original/file-20171219-27538-1qprqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199866/original/file-20171219-27538-1qprqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199866/original/file-20171219-27538-1qprqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199866/original/file-20171219-27538-1qprqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199866/original/file-20171219-27538-1qprqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199866/original/file-20171219-27538-1qprqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=676&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199866/original/file-20171219-27538-1qprqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=676&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199866/original/file-20171219-27538-1qprqfj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=676&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For the southern spring, the Taurids radiate from the northern sky before dawn [Melbourne 3:30am November 12].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Taurids are slow meteors and feature plenty of bright fireballs. So even though their rates are low, they are well worth looking out for, particularly when other showers are also active, such as the Draconids, the Orionids and the Leonids.</p>
<p>Put together, these showers make the northern autumn or the southern spring a great time to get out and look for natural fireworks.</p>
<h2>Orionids [N/S]</h2>
<h3>Active: October 2 - November 7</h3>
<h3>Maximum: October 21</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 20+</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://www.ianridpath.com/halley/halley6.htm">Comet 1P/Halley</a></h3>
<p>Twice a year, Earth runs through the stream of debris littered around the orbit of <a href="http://www.ianridpath.com/halley/halley6.htm">Comet 1P/Halley</a>. Throughout the month of October this gives rise to the Orionid meteor shower.</p>
<p>The Orionids are a fairly reliable meteor shower with a long, broad maximum. Typically, peak rates can last for almost a week, centred on the nominal maximum date. Throughout that week, Orionid rates can fluctuate markedly, leading to a number of distinct maxima and minima. </p>
<p>Orionid meteors are fast - much faster than the Taurids that are active at the same of year. Like the Taurids, they are often bright, the result of the high speed at which the meteoroids hit Earth’s atmosphere. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199387/original/file-20171215-17854-1ybanyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199387/original/file-20171215-17854-1ybanyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199387/original/file-20171215-17854-1ybanyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199387/original/file-20171215-17854-1ybanyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199387/original/file-20171215-17854-1ybanyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199387/original/file-20171215-17854-1ybanyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199387/original/file-20171215-17854-1ybanyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199387/original/file-20171215-17854-1ybanyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Before sunrise, Orion stands upright in the southwest as seen from the northern hemisphere [Chicago 5am].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199388/original/file-20171215-17857-nnk05b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199388/original/file-20171215-17857-nnk05b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199388/original/file-20171215-17857-nnk05b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199388/original/file-20171215-17857-nnk05b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199388/original/file-20171215-17857-nnk05b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199388/original/file-20171215-17857-nnk05b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199388/original/file-20171215-17857-nnk05b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199388/original/file-20171215-17857-nnk05b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">But from the southern hemisphere Orion appears to be standing on his head, in the northern sky before dawn [Sydney 5am].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Orionid radiant rises in the late evening and is only really high enough in the sky for reasonable rates to be seen after midnight. As a result, the best rates are usually observed in the hours before dawn. </p>
<p>This works well this year, as the Moon will be in its waxing gibbous phase, setting some time after midnight and leaving the sky dark, allowing us to watch for pieces of the most famous comet of them all.</p>
<h2>Geminids [N/S]</h2>
<h3>Active: December 4-17</h3>
<h3>Maximum: December 14, 12:30pm UT = Australia: December 14, 8pm AWST (WA) = 10:30pm (QLD) = 11:30pm AEST (NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas) = United States: December 14, 7:30am (EST) = 5:30am (PST) = 2:30am (Hawaii)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 120</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="https://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/Phaethon/Phaethon_planning.2017.html">Asteroid 3200 Phaethon</a></h3>
<p>As the year comes to a close, we reach the most reliable and spectacular of the annual meteor showers – <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-years-geminid-meteor-shower-will-be-a-true-spectacle-52068">the Geminids</a>. Unlike the Perseids and the Lyrids, which have graced our skies for thousands of years, the Geminids are a relatively new phenomenon. </p>
<p>They were first observed just 150 years ago, and through the first part of the 20th century were a relatively minor shower. But since then rates have improved decade-on-decade, to the point where they are now the best of the annual showers, bar none.</p>
<p>The reason for their rapid evolution is that their orbit (and that of their parent body, the asteroid Phaethon) is shifting rapidly over time, precessing around the Sun (wobbling like a slow spinning top). As it does so, the centre of Phaethon’s orbit, and the centre of the Geminid stream, are moving ever closer to Earth. </p>
<p>For northern locations, the radiant rises shortly after sunset, and good rates can be seen from mid-evening onwards. For observers in the southern hemisphere, the radiant rises later, so good rates are delayed until later at night (<a href="https://theconversation.com/this-years-geminid-meteor-shower-will-be-a-true-spectacle-52068">as detailed in our 2015 report on the shower</a>).</p>
<p>Although the time of maximum this year seems to favour observers in the Americas and Australia, peak rates from the Geminids usually last around 24 hours, and so good rates should be visible around the globe.</p>
<p>This year the maximum falls a day before the Moon reaches first quarter so the best rates are visible (after midnight, local time) when the Moon will have set and moonlight will not interfere.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199391/original/file-20171215-17869-icjny5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australia’s summer meteor shower, the consistent and spectacular Geminids in the early morning sky [Brisbane 4am].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199392/original/file-20171215-17878-kzgbgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199392/original/file-20171215-17878-kzgbgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199392/original/file-20171215-17878-kzgbgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199392/original/file-20171215-17878-kzgbgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199392/original/file-20171215-17878-kzgbgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199392/original/file-20171215-17878-kzgbgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=659&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199392/original/file-20171215-17878-kzgbgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=659&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199392/original/file-20171215-17878-kzgbgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=659&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Geminids appear high overhead over American skies in winter [Los Angeles midnight].</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Given that rates from the Geminids continue to climb, the estimated ZHR of 120 is likely to be somewhat conservative. Rates in excess of 130, and even as high as 200 per hour, have been seen in recent years.</p>
<p>Geminids are medium-speed meteors and are often bright. The individual meteors also seem to last just that bit longer than other showers, a fact likely related to their parent object’s rocky nature. </p>
<p>Wherever you are on the planet, the Geminids are a fantastic way to bring the year to an end, and we will hopefully be treated to a magnificent display this year.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86053/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Your guide to some of the best meteor showers for 2018. Where to look and when in both the northern and southern skies to catch nature’s fireworks.Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/876942017-11-17T13:56:58Z2017-11-17T13:56:58ZA guide to meteor showers – what to look out for and when<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195204/original/file-20171117-7579-1fin10v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Blink and you'll miss it – until the next one.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/channone/9493494833/in/photolist-fsUDgp-8rPYtK-8CEgf8-nu3qwc-seHx8j-nu3fAy-nLmgGb-7gkoxH-dAV3Xa-dwyBjx-dmtRAu-pnMctr-dv9Lgp-58bhWG-XstByB-iwUmQv-GMirYm-X4HpZU-79h42j-8saBqd-ftHx77-7eFfZr-ft6RNx-ftEtto-79smwX-ftq97r-e5zJDV-cQ37gQ-b7hjpF-8s7BnX-X4Hrbb-6PYC6c-dBoANf-7girE8-8tn8ZQ-8sbrmH-fEhZdx-hyZTTE-C5isvL-kaxWL8-ftuuoD-dX9jVD-xjViAb-duFAFB-xinrMq-8saArC-fsGHVi-nNiYTV-nu2YMs-skdrNx">Channone Arif/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It has happened to most of us: walking home late at night under clear skies you catch a glimpse of something bright moving, often from the corner of your eye. You turn to see what it is but it’s gone without a trace. And chances are you will have seen a meteor ending its multi-billion year journey in a burst of light 100km up.</p>
<p>We can see meteors in the night sky all year round, but at certain times of the year we get spectacular shows. Most meteors start their lives trapped in icy comets. Comets are the gritter lorries of the Solar System. When they come close to the sun at about the orbit of Mars, the sunlight begins to melt the comet. As it melts, it frees trapped bits of grit, which follow the comet around the sun in a lazy ellipse until the Earth passes through the trail left by the comet and these little 0.1mm pieces of grit become – for a brief few seconds – a fiery meteor. It is these trails that form the bursts of meteoric activity known as showers that last a few days as the Earth moves through the celestial gritter lorry’s path.</p>
<p>Many meteor showers are named after the point of the sky the meteors appear to come from – the radiant point – so showers that seem to come from the constellation of Gemini are called Geminids, and the Perseids appear to come from the constellation of Perseus and so on. The showers appear that the same time every year as the Earth cross the orbit of the associated comet</p>
<p>The number of meteors we see per hour depends on many factors. A bright moon will drown them out, if the associated comet has been around the sun recently, the trail of grit will have been refreshed as new grit appears and so we will see more meteors. Also, the time of night is important. After midnight the rotation of the Earth faces the observer increasingly into the stream of the meteor shower until we get to 6am when we are effectively right behind the comet gritter lorry and we get hit by more grit.</p>
<p>For those thinking of venturing out to see nature’s own firework display try to find a site that has clear skies and little or no light pollution, far from a city or a town. Take a chair – old-fashioned deckchairs work a treat as they let you look up without cricking your neck. Be prepared to stay out well after midnight and do not forget to wrap up warm, take a hot drink, a red light torch (to preserve your night vision) and some company. You are unlikely to see anything for the first 20 minutes or so as your eyes adjust to the darkness – but slowly, maybe out of the corner of your eye first, the meteors will become visible. </p>
<h2>Meteor shower seasons</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195209/original/file-20171117-7547-m0vymd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195209/original/file-20171117-7547-m0vymd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195209/original/file-20171117-7547-m0vymd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195209/original/file-20171117-7547-m0vymd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195209/original/file-20171117-7547-m0vymd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195209/original/file-20171117-7547-m0vymd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195209/original/file-20171117-7547-m0vymd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Plough or Big Dipper within the constellation of Ursa Major.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dipper#/media/File:Ursa_Major_constellation_detail_map.PNG">SAE1962/Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The meteors hunter’s year begins early with the Quadrantids between December 28 and January 7. The radiant point appears to come just north-east of the Plough (also known as the Big Dipper). The Quadrantids have a very short peak, indicating that the trail is quite compact compared to other showers. It does also have a very variable rate with peak hourly rates of more than 100 being <a href="https://www.imo.net/the-quadrantids-in-2014/">observed some years</a>.</p>
<p>Most of the spring is poor viewing for meteor hunters. Just two main showers, the Lyrids between April 16-25 and Eta Aquarids between April 19 and May 28 put on any show – and not much of one at that. It isn’t until August that the season gets underway with the Perseids, the first meteor shower I saw as a child and still my favourite. With a peak on August 13, but extending several weeks either side, the warm clear summer evening makes spotting the Perseids a pleasurable experience. <a href="https://www.imo.net/observing-the-perseids-in-2017/">Hour rates</a> of more than 100 are common and much higher rates have been seen. </p>
<p>Two months later, around October 20-22, we are treated to the Orionids. Linked to the famous Halley’s comet, the Orionids are not as common as the Perseids, with an hourly rate of only about 20. But the presence of the winter constellation of Orion makes it worth watching, especially if you have brought a small telescope to see the wonder of the Orion Nebula.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195205/original/file-20171117-7545-1j3on8e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195205/original/file-20171117-7545-1j3on8e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195205/original/file-20171117-7545-1j3on8e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195205/original/file-20171117-7545-1j3on8e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195205/original/file-20171117-7545-1j3on8e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195205/original/file-20171117-7545-1j3on8e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195205/original/file-20171117-7545-1j3on8e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trail visible in an Orionid meteor shower.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/drphotomoto/4034598096/in/photolist-79wns9-8CEgf8-nu3qwc-seHx8j-nu3fAy-nLmgGb-7gkoxH-XstByB-iwUmQv-GMirYm-dAV3Xa-X4HpZU-dwyBjx-79h42j-8saBqd-dmtRAu-ftHx77-7eFfZr-ft6RNx-ftEtto-79smwX-ftq97r-pnMctr-dv9Lgp-e5zJDV-cQ37gQ-b7hjpF-8s7BnX-58bhWG-X4Hrbb-6PYC6c-8saArC-dBoANf-fsGHVi-nNiYTV-nu2YMs-skdrNx-7girE8-L3XmEA-LpHU8-8tn8ZQ-dmyBYk-cQpms1-nLes34-8sbrmH-bq4MXf-8rTkuC-79dbAt-5mheNK-ehZswU">John Flannery/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>November starts with the Taurids. Associated with comet Encke, the Taurids have a relatively low hourly rate, about ten to 15 an hour, but unlike other showers, it appears that the meteors are larger than average, more like pebbles than grit resulting in very bright trails know as fireballs, which are sometimes coloured.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195206/original/file-20171117-7579-q6flpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195206/original/file-20171117-7579-q6flpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195206/original/file-20171117-7579-q6flpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195206/original/file-20171117-7579-q6flpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195206/original/file-20171117-7579-q6flpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195206/original/file-20171117-7579-q6flpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195206/original/file-20171117-7579-q6flpp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Leonid meteor close up.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/edsweeney/4118056340/in/photolist-oHz1Ym-mX1JE4-dUXvpv-7girE8-dBoANf-pYuEP3-ft7MZQ-oJzTRJ-ftXWZu-pmG7Hz-5S6r4-oJRTS2-7gU7Fo-7j3Uru-fr8k5R-dzLMnC-bQe1jH-fqLBaD-oxfKYz-dsMFNo-pKmC9b-nVJRts-a9a3JY-i6vpZz-p5X9jk-jGSb37-XL1u9e-M5P5jo-9WxpsW-AwZoCS-xHp4Rx-az3wP1-bnwfBE-B2kYfT-bSmWRX-9T1v6i-AV2d2u-A1i6E5-ovJ7BW-Cdc7CZ-TCnhCq-AD9xHG-CpR3K">Ed Sweeney/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A few weeks later the Leonids arrive, peaking around November 17-18. Recently hourly rates have been quite low for the Leonids, at around ten to 20 but occasionally they jump up and showers of 1,000 per hour even 100,000 an hour on rare occasions. As it is difficult to tell when these leaps will occur again, so it is <a href="http://meteorshowersonline.com/leonids.html">worth keeping an eye on them</a>.</p>
<p>The year ends with the last big shower, the Geminids. One of the most popular with amateur astronomers as the dark, crisp, clear nights lend themselves to meteor watching. The Geminids peak about December 13-14 with a rate of about 200 per hour – a rate that appears <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/geminids.html">to increase every year</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/87694/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Gallaway works the University of Hertfordshire, He receives funding from the Ogden Trust and the Science and Technology Facilities Council. He is affiliated with the Ogden Trust, SEPnet and SETpoint Herts. </span></em></p>A guide to meteor showers – what to look out for and when.Mark Gallaway, Ogden Fellow, Bayfordbury Observatory, University of HertfordshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/780292017-08-01T20:15:15Z2017-08-01T20:15:15ZCurious Kids: What’s going to happen to the Sun in the future? Will it explode?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171265/original/file-20170529-25219-8dc8r2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Sun is currently middle-aged, having celebrated its 4,568,000,000th birthday at some point in the last million years. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/naveenlreddy/17161922320/in/photolist-s9xkAq-aojzAy-cyGtLw-rypHLX-nXYPQk-fAxJHS-kbRGf2-9jeW4L-9jFSqX-cw4eEf-9eWgU9-9uMncH-oNyX5A-9jc8An-cyGsLN-kEz2gA-9wiPQB-o6n6sK-89azDZ-qTHZUL-aEofGr-pLgzgj-6gfeo-rKK5u4-d5VQnd-baN8ra-nuWFkB-cbW1Nf-7fXRv9-6ohay-r2m8Ye-paYQjg-q3X2Fs-aEtJdy-bsqCRo-dzuy5u-b2xbSe-dwuyhg-q177Hv-9JLvUQ-aK2f6Z-9NAEu9-85MnZg-s2LUrY-9BeNCY-nV4iMg-97NQMe-aAiAxY-avgC7j-2TxZ5z">Flickr/ChopWood CarryWater</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is an article from <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/curious-kids-36782">Curious Kids</a>, a new series for children. The Conversation is asking kids to send in questions they’d like an expert to answer. All questions are welcome – serious, weird or wacky!</em> </p>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>What is going to happen to the sun in the future? Will it explode? Will it burn out? Is it getting closer to the Earth? Will it drop like a shooting star? Sophie (age 12) and Max (age 10), Melbourne.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>That’s a fantastic set of questions - and I’ll try to answer all of them. I’ll start with the last, and work backwards from there.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FyLSjkOV2H8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>Will the Sun drop like a shooting star?</h2>
<p>When the Sun does reach the end of its life, it won’t fall to Earth - but we’ll come to that in a moment.</p>
<p>Although people like to imagine that shooting stars are stars falling from the heavens, they’re actually just bits of dust, burning up harmlessly way overhead. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171132/original/file-20170526-6377-caognc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171132/original/file-20170526-6377-caognc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171132/original/file-20170526-6377-caognc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171132/original/file-20170526-6377-caognc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171132/original/file-20170526-6377-caognc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171132/original/file-20170526-6377-caognc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171132/original/file-20170526-6377-caognc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171132/original/file-20170526-6377-caognc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A meteor (or ‘shooting star’) burning bright over the telescopes at Chile’s Paranal Observatory. It is not a star falling to Earth - but a beautiful sight nonetheless.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">ESO/S. Guisard</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On any clear night of the year, if you go outside and watch the sky, you will eventually see a few shooting stars (“meteors”). But on some nights, you can see tens, or even hundreds per hour. <a href="https://theconversation.com/look-up-your-guide-to-some-of-the-best-meteor-showers-for-2017-64885">Here’s a calendar of the year’s best “meteor showers”</a>, if you want to know when to look, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">here’s an Explainer</a>, if you want to learn more about meteors.</p>
<h2>Is the Sun getting closer to the Earth?</h2>
<p>The Earth moves around the Sun on a slightly egg-shaped orbit, so it is sometimes a bit closer to the Sun, and sometimes a bit further away. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171126/original/file-20170526-6367-17j7339.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171126/original/file-20170526-6367-17j7339.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171126/original/file-20170526-6367-17j7339.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171126/original/file-20170526-6367-17j7339.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171126/original/file-20170526-6367-17j7339.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171126/original/file-20170526-6367-17j7339.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171126/original/file-20170526-6367-17j7339.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171126/original/file-20170526-6367-17j7339.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, are all a bit ‘egg-shaped’ - but if you came back in a billion years, the planets would still be moving on almost the same orbits, at the same distances from the Sun.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Danial79/Wikipedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The change in distance is small compared to the size of Earth’s orbit, though - and overall, the average distance from the Earth to the Sun now is no different to what it was when the dinosaurs walked the Earth.</p>
<h2>What is going to happen to the Sun in the future? Will it explode? Will it burn out?</h2>
<p>The Sun won’t explode. Some stars do explode at the end of their lives, an explosion that outshines all the other stars in their galaxy added together - something we call a “supernova”. That spectacular fate only happens for the most massive stars, however. Smaller stars like the Sun follow a different route to their end.</p>
<p>The first thing that will happen to the Sun will happen really slowly. The Sun is currently middle-aged, having celebrated its 4,568,000,000th birthday at some point in the last million years. </p>
<p>Over that time, the Sun hasn’t really changed much - but it has gradually got a bit brighter. That brightening will carry on into the future - and eventually the Earth will get so hot that the oceans will boil!</p>
<p>Don’t panic, though - that won’t happen <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-sun-wont-die-for-5-billion-years-so-why-do-humans-have-only-1-billion-years-left-on-earth-37379">for at least another five hundred million years</a>.</p>
<p>Eventually (in five or seven billion years time), the Sun’s life will come to an end. </p>
<p>Our star will swell up, becoming something called a “Red Giant” star. It might even get so big that it swallows the Earth whole. As it swells, it will cool down, shining red or orange, like the bright star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171129/original/file-20170526-6385-1wf5lr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171129/original/file-20170526-6385-1wf5lr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171129/original/file-20170526-6385-1wf5lr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171129/original/file-20170526-6385-1wf5lr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171129/original/file-20170526-6385-1wf5lr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=925&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171129/original/file-20170526-6385-1wf5lr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1162&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171129/original/file-20170526-6385-1wf5lr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1162&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171129/original/file-20170526-6385-1wf5lr6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1162&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star, shines brightly at the left-hand shoulder of Orion. Betelgeuse is a much more massive star than the Sun, and when it dies (in the next million years) it will explode as a supernova!</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rogelio Bernal Andreo</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That stage of the Sun’s life will last just a few million years, at most. Then, the Sun will die. Not with a bang, but more of a whoosh.</p>
<p>The outer layers of the Sun will blow away, off into outer space, leaving behind its core - a glowing ember the size of the Earth called a White Dwarf star. That ember will gradually cool and fade, until eventually, billions of years in the future, it will go dark.</p>
<p>The Sun’s death will be really spectacular - if you’re watching from far enough away. As the Sun’s outer layers blow away, they will form something called a “Planetary Nebula”. That nebula will only last a few tens of thousands of years - a short but beautiful farewell to our wonderful star.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171130/original/file-20170526-6377-1qyrou0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171130/original/file-20170526-6377-1qyrou0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/171130/original/file-20170526-6377-1qyrou0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171130/original/file-20170526-6377-1qyrou0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171130/original/file-20170526-6377-1qyrou0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171130/original/file-20170526-6377-1qyrou0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171130/original/file-20170526-6377-1qyrou0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/171130/original/file-20170526-6377-1qyrou0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Helix Nebula. The faint star at the nebula’s centre was once like the Sun. Now all that remains is a white dwarf, surrounded by an ever-expanding shroud of atmosphere, blown off into space.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NASA, ESA, and C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>How do we know all this? We have never watched this process happen in real time, but astronomers can see various stars at different stages of this process and are able to piece together the chain of events that way. Being an astronomer is a bit like being a detective - you have to gather clues and use them to work out what has happened (and what will happen in the future).</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Have you got a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to us. You can:</em></p>
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<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/165749/original/image-20170419-32713-1kyojyz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>Please tell us your name, age and which city you live in. You can send an audio recording of your question too, if you want. Send as many questions as you like! We won’t be able to answer every question but we will do our best.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78029/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonti Horner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In five or seven billion years time, the Sun’s life will come to an end. And it will be really spectacular - if you’re watching from far enough away.Jonti Horner, Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, University of Southern QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/648852017-01-01T18:33:49Z2017-01-01T18:33:49ZLook up! Your guide to some of the best meteor showers for 2017<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150903/original/image-20161220-26712-5rttec.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Patience can be rewarded as with this composite of the 2016 Geminids meteor shower, seen over Mt Teide volcano on the Canary Islands, off Spain</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/starryearth/30832909633/">Flickr/StarryEarth</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After a disappointing 2016, when most of the annual major meteor showers were washed out by moonlight, 2017 looks far more promising. </p>
<p>Of the big three, the Quadrantids in January and Geminids in December are both visible in dark, moonless skies. Sadly, the Perseids in August will again be badly obscured by a waning gibbous Moon, but they are always worth watching.</p>
<p>Here we detail the predicted meteoric highlights for the coming year for the northern (N) and southern (S) hemispheres, and those visible for both (N/S). </p>
<p>New this year, for each shower we also give the maximum Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR): the maximum number of meteors per hour that could be seen, given absolutely ideal conditions.</p>
<p>The rates you actually observe will be lower than this value. The higher a shower’s radiant in the sky, and the darker the conditions, the closer the observed rates will get to the ZHR. </p>
<p>For this reason, if you <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-meteors-light-up-the-night-sky-35754">want to see the best of a meteor shower</a>, try to find a good, dark site (far from streetlights), and give your eyes at <a href="http://www.telescope.com/Articles/Equipment/Binoculars/Seeing-in-the-Dark/pc/9/c/192/sc/195/p/99833.uts">least half an hour to adjust to the darkness</a>. </p>
<p>For each shower, the time of forecast maximum is given in Universal Time (<a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/timezone/utc">UT</a>), with conversions to local time for certain regions where the shower could be observed. For other regions simply convert from UT into your <a href="http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/universal-time">local timezone</a>.</p>
<p>The parent is the comet or asteroid responsible for the debris through which the Earth passes each year that’s the cause of the annual meteor shower.</p>
<h2>Quadrantids (N)</h2>
<h3>Active: December 28, 2016 - January 12, 2017</h3>
<h3>Forecast Maximum: January 3, 2pm UT = January 3, 6am PST (West Coast, US) = January 3, 11pm JST (Japan)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: ~120</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/096p.html">Comet 96P/Machholz</a> / <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/383213/pdf">Asteroid 2003 EH1</a></h3>
<p>The Quadrantids get the new year off to a meteoric start. At their peak they can be spectacular, with rates often exceeding 100 meteors per hour. </p>
<p>For locations north of 40 degrees north, the shower’s radiant (the point on the sky from which the meteors appear) is circumpolar, which means it is always above the horizon. </p>
<p>The result? Quadrantid meteors can be seen throughout the hours of darkness. The best viewing is after midnight, local time, as the radiant climbs high into the morning sky.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150869/original/image-20161220-26748-1jxf8y9.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150869/original/image-20161220-26748-1jxf8y9.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150869/original/image-20161220-26748-1jxf8y9.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150869/original/image-20161220-26748-1jxf8y9.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150869/original/image-20161220-26748-1jxf8y9.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150869/original/image-20161220-26748-1jxf8y9.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150869/original/image-20161220-26748-1jxf8y9.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150869/original/image-20161220-26748-1jxf8y9.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Quadrantids come from the northern part of the northern hemisphere’s sky, with their radiant rising higher in the sky during the early hours of morning.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For most of the shower’s fortnight of activity, only one or two meteors per hour might be seen. For that reason, the Quadrantids are often overlooked, but at their best, they are well worth the effort of setting an early morning alarm on a cold winter’s night.</p>
<p>The forecast maximum this year favours locations in the western part of North America and in far East Asia. Observers north of the Arctic Circle have the privilege of being able to watch the shower continuously, if they can brave the winter cold.</p>
<h2>Lyrids [N/S]</h2>
<h3>Active: April, 16-25</h3>
<h3>Forecast Maximum: April 22, 12pm UT = April 22, 5am PDT (West Coast, US) = April 22, 10pm AEST (QLD/NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas) = April 22, 8pm AWST (WA)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 18</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/c1861g1thatcher/indepth">Comet C/1861 G1, Thatcher</a></h3>
<p>The Lyrids are a fairly consistent, moderately active meteor shower, producing around 15 to 20 meteors per hour at their peak. </p>
<p>Visible from either hemisphere, the Lyrids are best observed from northern latitudes, where the radiant climbs high in the sky before dawn. This year, the forecast peak favours observers in the Americas, although the precise timing of the maximum has been known to vary somewhat from year to year.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149490/original/image-20161210-31385-9jonla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149490/original/image-20161210-31385-9jonla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149490/original/image-20161210-31385-9jonla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149490/original/image-20161210-31385-9jonla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149490/original/image-20161210-31385-9jonla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149490/original/image-20161210-31385-9jonla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149490/original/image-20161210-31385-9jonla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149490/original/image-20161210-31385-9jonla.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">As seen from Australia, the Lyrid radiant is at its highest in the hour before sunrise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149492/original/image-20161210-31405-1bthxc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149492/original/image-20161210-31405-1bthxc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149492/original/image-20161210-31405-1bthxc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149492/original/image-20161210-31405-1bthxc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149492/original/image-20161210-31405-1bthxc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149492/original/image-20161210-31405-1bthxc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149492/original/image-20161210-31405-1bthxc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149492/original/image-20161210-31405-1bthxc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From America, the Lyrid radiant is high in the east before sunrise, with Venus and the crescent Moon low to the horizon and Saturn in the southern sky.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Lyrids have the longest recorded history of any meteor shower, with observations dating back to <a href="http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/meteors/lyrids">at least 687BC</a>.</p>
<p>While the Lyrids are typically only a moderately active shower, they can occasionally be truly spectacular. Every 60 years or so, they produce rates much higher than normal, an event known as an outburst. </p>
<p>The most recent such event occurred in 1982 when, for a short time, rates topped 90 meteors per hour. In 1803 the shower was more spectacular still. Rates reached storm proportions, and the sky over the eastern states of the US was <a href="http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu//full/1931PA.....39..256F/0000258.000.html">alight with meteors</a>, rates of more than 700 per hour.</p>
<p>This year, unfortunately, no such enhanced activity is forecast. Nevertheless, the Lyrids are still worth a look, letting us see pieces of a comet that currently lies more than a hundred billion kilometres distant.</p>
<h2>Eta Aquariids [S]</h2>
<h3>Active: April 19 - May 28</h3>
<h3>Forecast Maximum: May 6, 2am UT = May 6, 12pm AEST (QLD/NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas) = May 6, 10am AWST (WA)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 50</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://www.ianridpath.com/halley/halley6.htm">Comet 1P/Halley</a></h3>
<p>For observers in the southern hemisphere, the Eta Aquariids are one of the highlights of the meteor calendar.</p>
<p>Active in autumn, as the nights grow ever longer, the Eta Aquariids are best observed in the hours before dawn, when rates can climb as high as 40 or 50 meteors per hour. </p>
<p>Even for locations well south of the equator, the radiant does not rise until 1am or later, so this is definitely one to set the alarm for.</p>
<p>The Eta Aquariids are the stronger of two annual showers produced when Earth passes through debris shed by <a href="http://www.ianridpath.com/halley/halley6.htm">Comet 1P/Halley</a>. We’ll come to its sister shower, the Orionids, later. </p>
<p>The debris shed by Comet Halley is spread in a wide band across Earth’s orbit, which results in the Eta Aquariids being active for a period of around six weeks. Peak rates occur for just a week or so around the forecast maximum.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149486/original/image-20161210-31364-7q73e4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149486/original/image-20161210-31364-7q73e4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149486/original/image-20161210-31364-7q73e4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149486/original/image-20161210-31364-7q73e4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149486/original/image-20161210-31364-7q73e4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149486/original/image-20161210-31364-7q73e4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149486/original/image-20161210-31364-7q73e4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149486/original/image-20161210-31364-7q73e4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In the hour before sunrise, the Eta Aquariids radiant is high in the eastern sky, with Venus and Mercury below.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Observers who brave the pre-dawn hours to observe the shower this year are in for an added treat, with Venus and Mercury putting on a spectacular show as the dawn twilight builds. </p>
<p>The Eta Aquariids themselves are fast meteors, and are often bright, continuing to make an impression as the sky brightens before dawn. </p>
<h2>The Southern Delta Aquariids, Piscis Austrinids and Alpha Capricornids [N/S; S favoured]</h2>
<h3>Active: Early-July to Mid-August</h3>
<h3>Forecast Maxima: July 28-30</h3>
<h3>Combined ZHR: 35</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/096p.html">Comet 96P/Machholz</a> (Southern Delta Aquariids); Unknown (Piscis Austrinids); <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-6256/139/5/1822/pdf">Comet 169P/NEAT</a> (Alpha Capricornids</h3>
<p>During late July and early August, three meteor showers combine to provide a nice spectacle for keen observers, particularly those in the southern hemisphere.</p>
<p>Given that the normally reliable and spectacular Perseids (mid August) are badly affected by moonlight this year, these showers allow observers to get their mid-year meteor fix. </p>
<p>These three showers, combined, favour observers in the southern hemisphere, though they can also be observed from northern latitudes. From both hemispheres the rates get better as the night goes on and the radiants rise, with the best rates seen in the hours after midnight. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149494/original/image-20161210-31396-18phn7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149494/original/image-20161210-31396-18phn7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149494/original/image-20161210-31396-18phn7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149494/original/image-20161210-31396-18phn7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149494/original/image-20161210-31396-18phn7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149494/original/image-20161210-31396-18phn7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149494/original/image-20161210-31396-18phn7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149494/original/image-20161210-31396-18phn7c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A trio of meteor showers, as seen from the Southern Hemisphere around local midnight.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149495/original/image-20161210-31370-142mq2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149495/original/image-20161210-31370-142mq2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149495/original/image-20161210-31370-142mq2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149495/original/image-20161210-31370-142mq2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149495/original/image-20161210-31370-142mq2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149495/original/image-20161210-31370-142mq2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149495/original/image-20161210-31370-142mq2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149495/original/image-20161210-31370-142mq2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The same meteor showers, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere around local midnight.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Of the three, the Southern Delta Aquariids are the most active, with a broad peak lasting around five days, centred on July 30. Their meteors are the fastest of the three showers, as well as the most numerous. </p>
<p>The Alpha Capricornids, by contrast, are relatively slow and infrequent (just five or so per hour), but are often spectacular, with a reputation as a fireball shower. When combined with the activity from the other two showers, they represent a great opportunity for budding astro-photographers to get some spectacular shots.</p>
<h2>Orionids [N/S]</h2>
<h3>Active: October 2 - November 7</h3>
<h3>Forecast Maximum: October 21</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 20</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://www.ianridpath.com/halley/halley6.htm">Comet 1P/Halley</a></h3>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/see-one-of-the-years-best-meteor-showers-thanks-to-halleys-comet-33091">The Orionids</a> are the second of the annual meteor showers associated with the most famous comet, 1P/Halley.</p>
<p>In October, the Earth passes slightly farther from the densest part of Halley’s debris stream than in May, so the Orionids are somewhat weaker than their sister shower.</p>
<p>This is more than offset by the ease with which they may be observed. The Orionid radiant reaches a reasonable altitude by around midnight, local time. As a result, the shower can yield good rates for several hours before the sky starts to brighten before dawn.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149497/original/image-20161210-31364-196buvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149497/original/image-20161210-31364-196buvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149497/original/image-20161210-31364-196buvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149497/original/image-20161210-31364-196buvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149497/original/image-20161210-31364-196buvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=587&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149497/original/image-20161210-31364-196buvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149497/original/image-20161210-31364-196buvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149497/original/image-20161210-31364-196buvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Before sunrise, Orion stands upright high in the south-west as seen from the northern hemisphere.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149498/original/image-20161210-31364-1bo49ij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149498/original/image-20161210-31364-1bo49ij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149498/original/image-20161210-31364-1bo49ij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149498/original/image-20161210-31364-1bo49ij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149498/original/image-20161210-31364-1bo49ij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149498/original/image-20161210-31364-1bo49ij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149498/original/image-20161210-31364-1bo49ij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149498/original/image-20161210-31364-1bo49ij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From the southern hemisphere, Orion appears to stand on his head, in the northern sky before dawn.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Though peak rates are forecast to occur on October 21, the Orionid maximum is usually a broad and prolonged affair. Good rates can be seen for several days before and after the maximum, with several sub-maxima occurring as Earth passes through denser filaments of debris in the broader stream. </p>
<p>Orionid rates are supplemented by meteors from the Taurid stream, a minor shower active from September until December. Where the Orionids are fast, the Taurids are very slow but they often produce spectacular fireballs.</p>
<h2>Geminids [N/S]</h2>
<h3>Active: December December 4-17</h3>
<h3>Forecast Maximum: December 14, 6:30am UT = December 14, 1:30am EST (East Coast, US) = December 14, 5:30pm AEDT (NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas) = December 14, 4:30pm AEST (QLD) = December 14, 2:30pm AWST (WA)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 120</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/lunar/phaethon.html">Asteroid 3200 Phaethon</a></h3>
<p>The Geminids are probably the most <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-years-geminid-meteor-shower-will-be-a-true-spectacle-52068">reliable and rewarding of the annual meteor showers</a>. Visible from either hemisphere, they yield peak rates of well over a hundred meteors per hour. </p>
<p>Unlike some other showers, those peak rates persist for several hours (up to a day) so observers across the globe have the chance to see the shower at its best.</p>
<p>From locations well north of the equator the radiant rises just after sunset and good rates can be seen from the mid-evening onwards. </p>
<p>For the southern hemisphere the radiant rises later (mid-to-late evening). As the radiant climbs, so too will the number of meteors that can be seen.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Geminid radiant travels across the northern sky, as seen from Perth.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Geminids are moderately fast meteors, and are often bright. They also seem to persist slightly longer in the sky than meteors from other showers.</p>
<p>For southern observers, they are a fantastic summer treat to end the meteoric year, but for those north of the equator, one shower remains that can occasionally throw up an unexpected festive treat.</p>
<h2>Ursids [N only]</h2>
<h3>Active: December 17-26</h3>
<h3>Forecast Maximum: December 22, 3pm UT = December 22, 7am PST (West Coast, US) = December 22, 11pm JST (Japan)</h3>
<h3>ZHR: 10, variable</h3>
<h3>Parent: <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/008p.html">Comet 8P/Tuttle</a></h3>
<p>The Ursids are the final shower of the year, and are only visible for locations in the northern hemisphere. </p>
<p>Ursid meteors radiate from within just 14 degrees of the north celestial pole, so the radiant only changes in altitude by 28 degrees over the course of a night! </p>
<p>In most years, the Ursids are a fairly minor shower, yielding only ten meteors per hour at their peak for dedicated observers. But in the past they have produced at least two major outbursts, and the maximum activity seems to vary somewhat from year to year. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149489/original/image-20161210-31352-mmg7tj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149489/original/image-20161210-31352-mmg7tj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/149489/original/image-20161210-31352-mmg7tj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149489/original/image-20161210-31352-mmg7tj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149489/original/image-20161210-31352-mmg7tj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149489/original/image-20161210-31352-mmg7tj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149489/original/image-20161210-31352-mmg7tj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/149489/original/image-20161210-31352-mmg7tj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=649&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Ursid radiant as seen from Tokyo at 11pm, December 22.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museums Victoria</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>No major outburst is forecast for this year, but the Ursids are a shower of surprises. </p>
<p>There is the possibility that the Earth will encounter a denser clump of debris around 15 minutes ahead of the time of forecast maximum. That debris, left behind by the shower’s parent comet, 8P/Tuttle, in 884AD, will likely have become quite dispersed in the 1,133 years since it was lain down. As a result, any increase to the observed rates will probably be relatively small. </p>
<p>But it could still be well worth a look, just in case the Ursids manage to surprise us once again.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64885/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>2017 is looking to be a spectacular year for meteor showers. So here’s what to look out for in both the northern and southern skies.Jonti Horner, Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/637942016-08-11T10:03:23Z2016-08-11T10:03:23ZExplainer: why the August night sky lights up with the Perseid meteor shower<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133788/original/image-20160811-11853-8nlggr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lrargerich/9557608674/">Luis Argerich/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Even after nearly 20 years as an astronomer, I still believe the Perseid meteor shower in mid-August is one of the most spectacular astronomical events I have seen. If you are at all impressed by the majestic nature of the universe, you will not want to miss these Perseids, which usually peak around August 12. Beyond their aesthetic display, their very existence gives us a real connection to the solar system, its past formation, and thereby to the star and planet formation history of our entire galaxy.</p>
<p>Many people have some idea that a <a href="http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/">meteor shower</a> is when material in space falls to the earth. That is essentially true, but what these particles are and where they come from isn’t as well known. A greater understanding of their background makes viewing this show of nature even more rewarding.</p>
<p>The bright streams of light coming from these meteors as they fall to the ground makes for spectacular viewing. We are essentially watching the burning up of tiny rocks that were in interplanetary space, and just happen to fall into the Earth’s orbit. When this rock falls into the Earth’s atmosphere the friction from molecules in the atmosphere create such intense heat that the rock begins to disintegrate. This occurs when the Earth’s orbit intersects with the pockets of debris within the solar system that were originally part of a comet.</p>
<h2>Comet connection</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://meteorshowersonline.com/perseids.html">Perseid meteor shower</a> has been known about for hundreds of years, but was only identified as a specific, recurring event in the early 19th century. The comet that produces the Perseids is known as Swift-Tuttle, named for the two American astronomers <a href="http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1973AJ.....78..654M&data_type=PDF_HIGH&whole_paper=YES&type=PRINTER&filetype=.pdf">who discovered it</a> in 1862.</p>
<p>This was long after the Perseids themselves were observed, and it took several decades for astronomers to make the connection between the comet and the meteor shower. Eventually, they noticed the orbit of the comet was similar to that of the dust debris that produces the meteor shower. Swift-Tuttle was last seen from Earth using telescopes in 1992, and will be observable again in 109 years. It is also one of the most likely comets to hit the earth, although this would not happen for <a href="http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1994MNRAS.266..305Y&defaultprint=YES&filetype=.pdf">several hundred years</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133796/original/image-20160811-18023-18j0ez7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133796/original/image-20160811-18023-18j0ez7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133796/original/image-20160811-18023-18j0ez7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133796/original/image-20160811-18023-18j0ez7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133796/original/image-20160811-18023-18j0ez7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133796/original/image-20160811-18023-18j0ez7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133796/original/image-20160811-18023-18j0ez7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cosmic debris.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/snowpeak/9495887487/in/photolist-ft7Uw4-6NWErS-adoeWJ-fsPV6Q-oJzTRJ-ftt1e4-fQfChM-6Pmo6s-8sLGa7-fxCeYi-ftjaLZ-cQ6mQy-8s4YpD-adkqF4-fuNFam-fQfCrn-ftLroF-ftc1PX-8uwJXJ-cRbSf5-ftEtto-ftbJ3g-ftq97r-2JB8gv-cPXwz1-fqefqB-hyZTTE-fnEVcr-8tTJTm-2YJ4hi-8uij3r-cQ1Y1S-ftD6Sg-2YNwKU-ft8KLK-8rWdDm-fqeeQx-fuwCdv-oyYeJB-ftTnAE-xgJSHg-ftD6hK-ftTo37-8rNykv-wYH9DK-ft8KqR-ftD1r6-ftTrbs-ftD4UP-ftTqpA">John Fowler/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s fascinating to realise that the meteor streaks we see across the sky once came from this comet. Swift-Tuttle has a 133-year orbit in the solar system, which takes it 51 times further from the sun than the Earth. This means the comet originates from the outer solar system in the so-called <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solarsystem/other_solar_system_bodies/oort_cloud">Oort cloud</a> beyond the orbit of the planet Neptune. This comet then comes into the inner solar system where it interacts with more massive objects. During these legs of its journey, we can view it with our telescopes.</p>
<h2>Glimpse at the past</h2>
<p>While this is happening, the comet interacts with the gravity of the Sun and other planets, which causes it to lose some of the rock and dust it is made up of. This stream of material left behind continues to orbit the sun in a path that intersects with the Earth’s orbit. So the steaks of light we see from burning debris during a meteor shower are the leftover material from a comet that originated in the outer parts of our solar system. We are essentially seeing a remnant of the early formation of the sun and our planets and also the destruction of material that was formed 5 billion years ago, as old as the oldest rocks on Earth.</p>
<p>The reason these particular meteors are called Perseids is that if you take the radiant – that is, the line from which these meteors can be traced from their origin – the constellation they appear to come from is Perseus. So the best place to see the Perseids is where the constellation can be seen, which luckily is throughout the night for most places in the northern hemisphere.</p>
<p>Observing the Perseids this year should be fairly straightforward. As with any astronomical event at night, the best place to view these Perseids is in a dark location away from any artificial light and with an unobstructed view of the sky. The 2016 show is expected to peak with 150 meteors an hour – more than two a minute – better than previous years. And with a quarter-moon making the night sky darker than in previous years they will be even more visible.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63794/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Conselice does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The annual Perseid meteor shower gives us a glimpse of remnants from the early formation of the solar system.Christopher Conselice, Professor of Astrophysics, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/527052016-01-07T19:21:34Z2016-01-07T19:21:34ZExploring the solar system: the best of what you can look out for in 2016<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107256/original/image-20160105-28997-kxbivp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">NASA's Juno probe will be the fastest object humanity has ever created when it approaches Jupiter.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA19639">NASA/JPL-Caltech</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>This year is shaping up to be another exciting one for space after a bonanza of discoveries and celestial <a href="https://theconversation.com/space-in-2015-was-out-of-this-world-51982">events in 2015</a>.</p>
<p>One of my hoped-for highlights of 2016, NASA’s <a href="http://insight.jpl.nasa.gov/home.cfm">Insight mission</a>, has unfortunately been <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4805">scrubbed due to a serious leak</a> in last stage testing. But here are three of my particular favourite space missions to watch out for as well as some key night sky events to try and experience throughout 2016. </p>
<h2>1. ExoMars</h2>
<p>One of the next big missions to Mars will be the <a href="http://www.esa.int/ESA">European Space Agency</a>’s <a href="http://exploration.esa.int/mars/46048-programme-overview/">ExoMars programme</a>, a two-stage mission. </p>
<p>The first stage is a joint <a href="http://exploration.esa.int/mars/46475-trace-gas-orbiter/">Trace Gas Orbiter</a> (TGO) and <a href="http://exploration.esa.int/mars/47852-entry-descent-and-landing-demonstrator-module/">Schiaparelli</a> lander which will launch in March (to arrive by October). The technologies demonstrated by Schiaparelli will then be used for a rover to land in any interesting sites identified by TGO as the next stage in ExoMars.</p>
<p>The orbiter will spend five years attempting to “sniff” out those gases in the Martian atmosphere such as methane that break down over time, with any trace amounts indicating a process of creation on Mars. Whether biological (that is, expelled by microbial life) or geological in nature will be investigated throughout the ExoMars programme. </p>
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</figure>
<h2>2. Juno</h2>
<p>A key story for 2016 will be the investigation of Jupiter by NASA’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/overview/index.html">Juno mission</a>. As the enormous gravity of Jupiter pulls the spacecraft to ever higher speeds, ultimately <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infographics/infographic.view.php?id=11106">travelling at more than 70km per second</a>, Juno will become the fastest craft in human history.</p>
<p>It will fire its rockets to slow down and then enter one of the most challenging orbits ever attempted, skimming as low as just 5,000km above the cloud tops, ducking below the intense – and damaging – radiation belts of Jupiter to study the gas giant as never before. To put that in perspective, if Jupiter were a soccer ball, Juno would be skimming less than a centimetre off the surface.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UZ_2DqtO-ik?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<p>The aim is to see if there’s water in the atmosphere (revealing the conditions from which the gas giants formed), to study the gas giant’s magnetic and gravitational field and the nature of the interior.</p>
<p>Thousands of kilometres of clouds crush the core to extraordinary pressures that might form a planet-sized diamond (as Arthur C. Clarke <a href="http://allreaders.com/book-review-summary/2061-odyssey-three-39300">once wrote</a>) or more likely a core of superconducting metallic hydrogen that powers the enormous magnetic field of the planet.</p>
<p>It will be deorbited in Februrary 2018 after 37 death-defying orbits threading through the incredibly dangerous radiation belts. </p>
<h2>3. LIGO</h2>
<p>The latest telescope on Earth could hardly look more different to those that use light (be it visible or radio waves) but <a href="https://www.advancedligo.mit.edu">LIGO</a> is searching the skies for colliding black holes, with the telltale signals as ripples in the very fabric of spacetime itself. These gravitational waves are Einstein’s final prediction and are yet to be verified.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qUdbhNA66OY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>As a gravitational wave passes through you, you’d be stretched one way becoming thinner and then as the wave continues through you are squashed and fattened. Since this doesn’t visibly appear to happen we can guess that the stretching and squashing is tiny. The expected change is less than the thickness of an atom in a ruler a million kilometres long. </p>
<p>To measure this incomprehensibly tiny change we use lasers (technically an interferometer bouncing two lasers back and forth) in different locations on Earth to triangulate the position to a few degrees on the sky (the width of a few full moons). </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107352/original/image-20160106-17741-1gl6ewi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107352/original/image-20160106-17741-1gl6ewi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107352/original/image-20160106-17741-1gl6ewi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107352/original/image-20160106-17741-1gl6ewi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107352/original/image-20160106-17741-1gl6ewi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107352/original/image-20160106-17741-1gl6ewi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107352/original/image-20160106-17741-1gl6ewi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107352/original/image-20160106-17741-1gl6ewi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The LIGO observatory at Livingston, Louisiana.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.caltech.edu/news/advanced-ligo-project-funded-national-science-foundation-1406">Caltech</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Discovering these waves will allow us to see the universe with an entirely new sense, as distinct from hearing to seeing. In 2016, humanity will gaze with entirely new eyes into the cosmos.</p>
<h2>Celestial events</h2>
<p>There are also some fantastic sights in the sky to watch out for in 2016.</p>
<p>Southeast Asia and Africa will get to enjoy the more visually impressive solar eclipses, with Australia, Europe and the United States missing out (although everyone can enjoy the stunning meteor showers).</p>
<p>These are selected from a more <a href="http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2016.html">exhaustive list</a> of all the motions of the planets and other celestial highlights. If not mentioned, all times and viewing directions are from an Australian perspective.</p>
<h2>Planetary alignment</h2>
<h3>January 20 to February 20</h3>
<p>All five planets visible to naked eye – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – will appear in morning sky. This is the first time since 2005 and should be something we can all manage to see without telescopes.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107244/original/image-20160105-28980-gjr2u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107244/original/image-20160105-28980-gjr2u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107244/original/image-20160105-28980-gjr2u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107244/original/image-20160105-28980-gjr2u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107244/original/image-20160105-28980-gjr2u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107244/original/image-20160105-28980-gjr2u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107244/original/image-20160105-28980-gjr2u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107244/original/image-20160105-28980-gjr2u7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Stand in line: the five planets visible to the naked eye.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alan Duffy, created with Sky Safari</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Jupiter at opposition</h2>
<h3>March 8</h3>
<p>This the best time to see the gas giant as it forms a direct line with the sun – Earth – Jupiter. Similar to a full moon, Jupiter will be entirely illuminated by the sun making it appear brighter than any other time this year. </p>
<p>With binoculars you should easily discern the four largest (Galilean) moons sitting in a line either side of the planet.</p>
<h2>Total solar eclipse</h2>
<h3>March 9</h3>
<p>The total solar eclipse will be visible from central Indonesia and some Pacific Islands. Neighbouring regions, such as Northern Australia and Southeast Asia, will see a partial eclipse but protective eyewear should be used at all times. Check the NASA <a href="http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2016Mar09Tgoogle.html">predicted track</a>.</p>
<h2>Eta Aquarids meteor shower</h2>
<h3>May 6 to 7</h3>
<p>Eta Aquarids is a particularly good meteor shower with up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak in the southern hemisphere (the northern hemisphere might see half this). This meteor shower is from the Earth running through the dust tail of Halley’s comet.</p>
<p>The new moon will mean even more of the faintest shooting stars are visible. Look towards the constellation Aquarius after midnight. </p>
<h2>Transit of Mercury across the sun</h2>
<h3>May 9</h3>
<p>Mercury will pass between the Earth and the sun, with the dark disk of the planet visible across the face of the sun. There will not be another transit of Mercury until 2019 and then the next one will be in 2039.</p>
<p>This can only be seen with specialised protective eyewear and a telescope, including a pinhole camera. Unfortunately, this will not be visible from Australia but will be seen in most of the rest of the world, in particular the eastern United States and eastern South America.</p>
<h2>Blue moon</h2>
<h3>May 21</h3>
<p>As the third of four full moons in this season, it is known as a <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/blue-moon.html">blue moon</a>. This is a relatively rare occurrence, hence the term “once in a blue moon”.</p>
<p>Each season you could expect three full moons but the lunar cycle is every 29.53 days meaning on average every 2.7 years you can squeeze in a fourth full moon in a season, nothing to do with the colour changing!</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107245/original/image-20160105-29000-apnard.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107245/original/image-20160105-29000-apnard.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107245/original/image-20160105-29000-apnard.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107245/original/image-20160105-29000-apnard.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107245/original/image-20160105-29000-apnard.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107245/original/image-20160105-29000-apnard.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107245/original/image-20160105-29000-apnard.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Don’t expect the blue moon to be coloured blue.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/blachswan/14668117205/">Flickr/Ed Dunens</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Mars at opposition</h2>
<h3>May 22</h3>
<p>The sun and Mars sit directly opposite one another as seen from the Earth ensuring the planet is fully illuminated by the sun.</p>
<p>Mars will be a clear red point of light in the night sky. Using an eight- to ten-inch telescope you can see darker regions amid the orange/rust coloured planet.</p>
<h2>Saturn at opposition</h2>
<h3>June 3</h3>
<p>Saturn is in a direct line between the Earth and sun meaning that it rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west. </p>
<p>Saturn will be a bright diamond coloured point of light, at its brightest for the entire year. A medium-sized telescope will be needed to see the famous rings.</p>
<h2>Perseids meteor shower</h2>
<h3>August 12 to 13</h3>
<p>With up to 60 meteors per hours the Perseids is a reliably good meteor shower as the Earth ploughs through the debris of the comet Swift-Tuttle. </p>
<p>There is only a minimal amount of moonshine (a waxing gibbous moon setting just after midnight) ensuring that the majority of shooting stars will be seen after midnight.</p>
<p>The shooting stars will radiate from the constellation Perseus. </p>
<h2>Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter</h2>
<h3>August 27</h3>
<p>Two of the brightest planets in the night sky will appear to move towards each other throughout August. They reach their closest point (a conjunction) just after sunset in the western sky (just seven <a href="http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/cosmic_reference/angular.html">arcminutes</a> apart, or less than the nail of your little finger held at arm’s length) on August 27.</p>
<h2>Annular solar eclipse</h2>
<h3>September 1</h3>
<p>The moon is a little further from the Earth than the March 9 eclipse meaning that it will not completely cover the sun, revealing a burning bright ring (or annulus) around the moon.</p>
<p>The eclipse path will pass through Congo, Tanzania and Madagascar before ending in the Indian Ocean. A partial eclipse will be visible in the neighbouring African nations. Check the NASA <a href="http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2016Sep01Agoogle.html">predicted track</a>.</p>
<h2>1st Supermoon</h2>
<h3>October 16</h3>
<p>First of this year’s three <a href="https://theconversation.com/check-out-the-years-biggest-and-brightest-moon-on-sunday-night-15129">supermoons</a>, when the moon is closest to the Earth in its orbit. This means it is bigger in the sky and hence brighter when fully illuminated by the sun (a full moon) on the opposite side of us from the sun.</p>
<h2>2nd Supermoon</h2>
<h3>November 14</h3>
<p>Second of three supermoons for 2016.</p>
<h2>Geminids meteor shower</h2>
<h3>December 13 to 14</h3>
<p>The Geminids are usually the <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-years-geminid-meteor-shower-will-be-a-true-spectacle-52068">best meteor shower of the year</a> with up to 120 meteors per hour, but unfortunately there is nearly a full moon this year (a supermoon no less) that will outshine all but the brightest shooting stars.</p>
<p>All other meteor showers this year are from the Earth ploughing through a debris tail from a comet, but the Geminids are unique in being from an asteroid (3200 Phaethon). The radiant is in the constellation Gemini (the Twins).</p>
<h2>3rd Supermoon</h2>
<h3>December 14</h3>
<p>Third and final supermoon of 2016. What a great way to end the year, but a shame about the Geminids meteor shower.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/52705/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alan Duffy receives funding from Swinburne University of Technology. He is affiliated with the ARC's CAASTRO and the SABRE Dark Matter Detector consortium.</span></em></p>From the high-speed journey to Jupiter to solar eclipses, meteor showers and planetary alignments visible in the skies above – add these space highlights to your 2016 calendar.Alan Duffy, Research Fellow, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/488102015-12-30T21:56:49Z2015-12-30T21:56:49ZLook up! Your guide to some of the best meteor showers for 2016<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106436/original/image-20151217-32618-nt2ctr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A brilliant fireball lights up the sky above the Southern Ocean at the 12 Apostles National Park on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.twanight.org/newTWAN/photos.asp?ID=3005084&Sort=Photographer">Alex Cherney</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many meteor showers, caused by the Earth passing through streams of debris left behind by comets and asteroids, occur as regularly as clockwork, year on year. But whether you can see a great display in the night sky from a given shower varies from year to year, for a variety of reasons.</p>
<p>So what will be the highlights of the coming year, 2016?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, several of the year’s best showers (including the wonderful <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-years-geminid-meteor-shower-will-be-a-true-spectacle-52068">Geminids</a>) will be wiped out by moonlight in 2016, so aren’t mentioned in this list. Fortunately, though, several good showers remain.</p>
<p>If a shower can only be seen from the northern hemisphere, we’ll denote that with an (N). For southern hemisphere showers, we’ll use (S), and for those visible from both hemispheres, we’ll use (N/S).</p>
<p>For each shower, the time of forecast maximum is given in Universal Time (UT), with conversions to local time for certain regions where the shower could be observed (such as the east to west coast of the US, or the east to west coast of Australia). For other regions where the shower is visible, simply convert from UT into your <a href="http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/universal-time">local timezone</a>.</p>
<hr>
<h2>The Quadrantids (N)</h2>
<p><strong>Active: December 28, 2015 - January 12, 2016</strong><br>
<strong>Forecast Maximum: January 4, 8am UT = 3am EST (East Coast, US) = 12am PST (West Coast, US)</strong></p>
<p>For observers in the northern hemisphere, the year starts with a bang. The Quadrantids are one of the year’s big three meteor showers, yielding rates that can exceed 100 or even 150 meteors per hour. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, their peak is very short, with rates only remaining above about a quarter of their peak for around a day. As a result of this, and the usually highly inclement winter weather in the northern hemisphere at Quadrantid peak, they are often overlooked.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106448/original/image-20151217-10330-sgvjhf.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106448/original/image-20151217-10330-sgvjhf.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106448/original/image-20151217-10330-sgvjhf.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106448/original/image-20151217-10330-sgvjhf.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106448/original/image-20151217-10330-sgvjhf.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106448/original/image-20151217-10330-sgvjhf.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106448/original/image-20151217-10330-sgvjhf.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=578&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Quadrantids radiate from the northern part of the northern hemisphere’s sky, with their source rising higher in the sky during the early hours of morning.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The radiant of the shower is actually circumpolar for most of the northern hemisphere, so close to the pole that it never sets. For the same reason, the shower is impossible to observe from the southern hemisphere, where the radiant never rises.</p>
<p>Moonlight will not interfere with the Quadrantids in 2016. So, if skies are clear, it is possible that observers could see a great show. While Quadrantids can be seen at any time during the hours of darkness, the best rates are garnered in the morning hours, as the radiant rises higher into the sky before dawn. </p>
<p>A nice spectacle to start the new year.</p>
<hr>
<h2>The Eta Aquariids (S and low latitudes N)</h2>
<p><strong>Active: April 19, 2016 – May 28, 2016</strong><br>
<strong>Forecast Maximum: May 5, 8pm UT = May 6, 6am AEST (QLD/NSW/ACT/Vic/Tas) = May 6, 3am AWST (WA)</strong></p>
<p>The Eta Aquariids are another shower best seen in the early hours of the morning. But they can be well worth setting your alarm early to observe.</p>
<p>Fragments of the most famous of comets, 1P/Halley, the Eta Aquariids are a broad meteor stream. It takes the Earth around six weeks to cross their full width.</p>
<p>The maximum occurs around May 5, and unlike the Quadrantids, the peak is broad. Rates often exceed 30 meteors per hour, in the hours before dawn, for over a week around the peak.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106432/original/image-20151217-32600-1b5fx4g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106432/original/image-20151217-32600-1b5fx4g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106432/original/image-20151217-32600-1b5fx4g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106432/original/image-20151217-32600-1b5fx4g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106432/original/image-20151217-32600-1b5fx4g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106432/original/image-20151217-32600-1b5fx4g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=805&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106432/original/image-20151217-32600-1b5fx4g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=805&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106432/original/image-20151217-32600-1b5fx4g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=805&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Eta Aquariids as seen from Brisbane, an hour before sunrise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museum Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Eta Aquariids are fast meteors, hitting Earth’s atmosphere at 66km/s. They are often truly spectacular when seen shortly after the radiant rises, a few hours before dawn. These Earth-grazers often span the sky from horizon to horizon, leave lingering smoky trails, and are definitely an eye-catching sight.</p>
<p>The peak of the shower in 2016 occurs around the time of New Moon making it an ideal year to check out this enigmatic morning shower.</p>
<hr>
<h2>Piscis Austrinids, Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids (N/S)</h2>
<p><strong>Active: Late-July/Early-August</strong><br>
<strong>Forecast Maximum: July 28-30, 2016, around midnight local time</strong></p>
<p>In the middle of the northern hemisphere summer, the attention of meteor observers usually turns to the Perseids, one of the highlights of the year. But a number of more minor showers are also active towards the end of July and start of August, and between them, they combine to give reasonable rates for observers in both hemispheres.</p>
<p>While the Perseids (which we’ll say more about in a moment) are best seen from northern skies, the Piscis Austrinids, Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids are visible across the globe and are actually easier to observe from the southern hemisphere than the north.</p>
<p>While each of the showers is relatively minor (at least compared to streams like the Perseids), they combine to yield 20 or 30 meteors per hour at their maxima, which all fall together in a cluster around the July 28-30.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106433/original/image-20151217-32621-1plnvvl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106433/original/image-20151217-32621-1plnvvl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106433/original/image-20151217-32621-1plnvvl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106433/original/image-20151217-32621-1plnvvl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106433/original/image-20151217-32621-1plnvvl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106433/original/image-20151217-32621-1plnvvl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106433/original/image-20151217-32621-1plnvvl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106433/original/image-20151217-32621-1plnvvl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=670&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A trio of meteor showers, as seen from the Southern Hemisphere around local midnight.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museum Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The new moon falls on August 2, which means the maxima of these showers can be observed under dark skies, giving an ideal opportunity to check out these less well known showers. </p>
<p>Of the three showers, the Southern Delta Aquariids are the most active. They display several sub-maxima around July 26-31, reaching around 15 to 20 meteors per hour under perfect conditions.</p>
<p>The other two showers are weaker, perhaps yielding around five meteors per hour each at their peak (though they have occasionally exhibited higher rates). But the Alpha Capricornids have a reputation for producing bright, slow, spectacular fireballs, so are well worth looking out for.</p>
<p>The best viewing for these showers is around midnight, local time, though they can be seen for most of the night. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106434/original/image-20151217-32621-obbtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106434/original/image-20151217-32621-obbtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106434/original/image-20151217-32621-obbtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106434/original/image-20151217-32621-obbtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106434/original/image-20151217-32621-obbtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106434/original/image-20151217-32621-obbtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106434/original/image-20151217-32621-obbtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106434/original/image-20151217-32621-obbtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=645&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The same meteor showers, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere around local midnight.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museum Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<h2>The Perseids (N)</h2>
<p><strong>Active: July 17, 2016 - August 24, 2016</strong><br>
<strong>Forecast Maximum: August 12, 1-4pm UT = 9am-12pm EDT (East Coast, US) = 6-9am PDT (West Coast, US) = 10pm-1am, August 13 JST (Japan)</strong></p>
<p>The Perseids are only really accessible for observers in the northern hemisphere, but from there, they can be truly spectacular. </p>
<p>They occur in the middle of the northern hemisphere summer, during the school holidays there, and almost feel designed to get people interested in astronomy.</p>
<p>The Perseids are possibly the most easily accessible of the three big ones. Where the Geminids and Quadrantids occur in the often bitter depths of the northern winter, the Perseids are well suited to camping, and relaxation on a pleasant warm night.</p>
<p>The Perseid radiant reaches a useful altitude at around 10pm or 11pm, local time. From then on, conditions continue to improve through the early hours of the morning. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106447/original/image-20151217-10305-1vf7n7c.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106447/original/image-20151217-10305-1vf7n7c.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106447/original/image-20151217-10305-1vf7n7c.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106447/original/image-20151217-10305-1vf7n7c.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106447/original/image-20151217-10305-1vf7n7c.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106447/original/image-20151217-10305-1vf7n7c.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106447/original/image-20151217-10305-1vf7n7c.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">During the early hours of the morning, the Perseid Radiant rises ever higher, resulting in more visible meteors.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In any given year, at maximum, the Perseids can yield in excess of 100 meteors per hour. But 2016 could be unusually good. Calculations show that the Perseid debris stream has been nudged by the gravitational influence of Jupiter, bringing the densest part closer to Earth’s orbit.</p>
<p>As a result, Perseid rates promise to be particularly high. It is quite feasible that maximum rates could exceed 150 per hour. </p>
<p>In addition, 2016’s peak may feature several sub-maxima, as Earth passes through concentrations of dust laid down by the Perseid’s parent comet, <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/109p.html">109P/Swift-Tuttle</a>, during previous perihelion passages.</p>
<p>This is particularly important for observers in Europe. On the night of August 11 and morning of August 12, it is likely that these enhanced rates might reach, or even surpass, the number of meteors to be seen at the traditional time of maximum, which falls some 14 hours later. </p>
<p>Wherever you are in the northern hemisphere, the nights of August 11 and 12 are a prime time to watch for the Perseids. Perseids are fast meteors, often bright and eye-catching, and make a good excuse for a camping trip.</p>
<hr>
<h2>The Ursids (N)</h2>
<p><strong>Active: December 17 - 26, 2016</strong><br>
<strong>Forecast Maximum: December 22, 9am UT = 4am EST (East Coast, US) = 1am PST (West Coast, US) = 6pm JST (Japan)</strong></p>
<p>Moonlight unfortunately interferes with the maxima of all the main meteor showers of the final third of the year, washing out the peaks of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/see-one-of-the-years-best-meteor-showers-thanks-to-halleys-comet-33091">Orionids</a>, the Leonids and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-years-geminid-meteor-shower-will-be-a-true-spectacle-52068">Geminids</a>. </p>
<p>At the very end of 2016, however, comes a northern-hemisphere-only shower that is often overlooked, the Ursids. Ursid meteors radiate from a point just 14 degrees from the north celestial pole. </p>
<p>As a result, their radiant is circumpolar (never sets) for all locations north of a latitude of 14 degrees. The further north you live, the higher the radiant sits in the sky, meaning that Ursid meteors can be observed throughout the hours of darkness. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106435/original/image-20151217-32609-1wl409n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106435/original/image-20151217-32609-1wl409n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/106435/original/image-20151217-32609-1wl409n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106435/original/image-20151217-32609-1wl409n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106435/original/image-20151217-32609-1wl409n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106435/original/image-20151217-32609-1wl409n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=601&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106435/original/image-20151217-32609-1wl409n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=601&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/106435/original/image-20151217-32609-1wl409n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=601&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Ursid Radiant as seen from Tokyo at midnight December 23.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museum Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Ursids occur at the northern-hemisphere mid-winter. This results in the unusual situation that it is possible for people in the Arctic Circle to observe a meteor shower in the middle of the day.</p>
<p>In most years, the Ursids are only a moderately active shower. Around maximum, rates usually reach just about ten per hour. But on a couple of occasions in the past 50 years, the Ursids have produced outbursts, with rates reaching or exceeding 50 per hour. </p>
<p>Given how poorly observed and characterised the Ursids are, it may well be that several other such outbursts were missed. Indeed, there have certainly been several other years in which observed rates were moderately higher than usual. </p>
<p>While no outburst is explicitly forecast for this year, the Ursid meteor shower could prove a very nice way to end another year of meteor observing.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>For more information on the meteor showers throughout 2016, check out the International Meteor Organisation’s 2016 <a href="http://imo.net/files/data/calendar/cal2016.pdf">meteor calendar</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/48810/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many meteor showers are a regular annual event, but what you can see varies from year to year. So which showers will be the best for 2016?Jonti Horner, Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/520682015-12-10T19:07:47Z2015-12-10T19:07:47ZThis year’s Geminid meteor shower will be a true spectacle<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104970/original/image-20151209-3266-1efctw8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A composite image of the Geminid Meteors.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://philhart.com/content/geminid-meteor-shower">Phil Hart/Tanya Hill</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The annual <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/geminids.html">Geminid</a> meteor shower is one of the highlights of every year and 2015 promises to be extra special, particularly for those in Australia.</p>
<p>The reason? The moon, which often interferes with our view of meteor showers by washing out all but the brightest members, will be just three days from new at the peak of the Geminids this month. As such, the best rates will be visible in dark, moonless skies.</p>
<p>What’s more, the timing of the event is perfect for Australia. The forecast maximum is expected to occur during the early hours of Tuesday, December 15, when the Geminid radiant (the point in the sky from which meteors appear to radiate) is riding high in the Australian sky.</p>
<p>The Geminids were first observed just one hundred and fifty years ago, relatively recently in astronomical terms. At first, just a few meteors were seen, but over the years the maximum rate observed has climbed. </p>
<p>For the past couple of decades, the annual peak has regularly reached (or exceeded) <a href="http://imo.net/files/data/calendar/cal2015.pdf">120</a> meteors per hour. These high rates, the general brightness of the meteors, and the reliability of the Geminids combine to make it one of the best showers of the year. </p>
<h2>The origins</h2>
<p>Meteor showers occur when the Earth, on its orbit around the sun, passes through a swathe of debris left behind by one of the solar system’s small bodies. In most cases, the parent object is a comet, but in <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-geminids-meteor-shower-should-be-one-of-the-best-this-year-34922">the case of the Geminids</a>, the parent is actually a disintegrating asteroid named <a href="http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/06dec_geminids/">3200 Phaethon</a>.</p>
<p>Phaethon is a small, rocky object that has a remarkably eccentric orbit, which brings it closer to the sun than any other named asteroid. </p>
<p>At perihelion, it is just 20 million kilometres from the sun (well inside the <a href="http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury">orbit of Mercury</a>) and its surface bakes in the daytime and freezes at night. With a rotation period of less than four hours, the constantly alternating extremes of temperature takes its toll on the asteroid’s surface. </p>
<p>The continual expansion and contraction causes Phaethon’s rocky surface to fracture and break. As these fragments are shed, they tend to spread around the asteroid’s orbit. It is this debris stream that Earth is passing through right now, to create the annual Geminid meteor shower.</p>
<h2>Heading for peak activity</h2>
<p>Unlike the Perseids and Quadrantids, two of the year’s other finest showers, the Geminids are easily observed from both the northern and southern hemispheres. This makes them a true annual treat, wherever you are on the planet.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/105015/original/image-20151209-3294-dokse.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Geminids radiant travels across the northern sky, as seen from Perth.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Geminids are already underway, and will slowly build towards their peak on Tuesday, December 15. Those peak rates usually last around a day or so, but are then followed by a rapid decay in the number of meteors seen. The shower ceases to be active just three days after maximum.</p>
<p>The time of the peak is expected to occur around 4am AEST (Qld), 5am AEDT (NSW, ACT, Vic and Tas), 4:30am ACDT (SA), 3:30am ACST (NT) and 2am AWST (WA).</p>
<h2>How to see the Geminids</h2>
<p>Although the Geminids can be observed from anywhere in Australia, the further north you live, the higher the radiant will appear in the sky and the better your view will be.</p>
<p>The radiant of the shower rises in the late evening (see the table, below). It’s not possible to see meteors before then, but once the radiant rises the show will improve, hour on hour as the radiant gets ever higher in the sky. </p>
<iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/WjiOI/1/" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" oallowfullscreen="oallowfullscreen" msallowfullscreen="msallowfullscreen" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>For the first couple of hours after the radiant rises, even on the night of maximum, meteors will likely be infrequent, but these Earth-grazers can be truly spectacular. Entering Earth’s atmosphere at the shallowest of shallow angles, they can blaze a trail across almost the entire night sky.</p>
<p>As the night passes, and the radiant rises ever higher, rates should increase. The best way to see the greatest number of meteors is to first find the radiant in the sky.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104981/original/image-20151209-3282-f495zh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104981/original/image-20151209-3282-f495zh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104981/original/image-20151209-3282-f495zh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104981/original/image-20151209-3282-f495zh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104981/original/image-20151209-3282-f495zh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104981/original/image-20151209-3282-f495zh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104981/original/image-20151209-3282-f495zh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104981/original/image-20151209-3282-f495zh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Geminids as seen from Brisbane. The further north you are, the higher the radiant appears in the sky.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stellarium/Tanya Hill</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Geminids appear to come from close to the bright star Castor, one of the two brightest stars in Gemini (hence the name “Geminids”). </p>
<p>Gemini can found below the constellation of Orion, as seen from the southern hemisphere. It rises in the north-east in the late evening, then passes through north to the north-west as the night progresses. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104982/original/image-20151209-3291-vgzrdm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104982/original/image-20151209-3291-vgzrdm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104982/original/image-20151209-3291-vgzrdm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104982/original/image-20151209-3291-vgzrdm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104982/original/image-20151209-3291-vgzrdm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104982/original/image-20151209-3291-vgzrdm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104982/original/image-20151209-3291-vgzrdm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/104982/original/image-20151209-3291-vgzrdm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Geminids as seen from Hobart.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stellarium/Tanya Hill</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Once you’ve found the radiant, turn your gaze around 30 to 45 degrees away, either to the left or the right (look towards the direction with the least light pollution for the best results). Then look about 30 to 45 degrees above the horizon. </p>
<p>Looking this distance from the radiant is an ideal compromise. It means that you will be looking through a large enough volume of atmosphere to see a reasonable number of meteors, without looking so far from the radiant that any meteors have already burned up before reaching your field of view.</p>
<p>Also, remember when looking for meteors to make sure you give your eyes time to adapt to the darkness. It can take more than half an hour before your eyes have fully dilated, and you become able to see the faintest stars and many more meteors.</p>
<p>Any bright light (the headlights of a passing car or someone checking their smartphone to read an e-mail) resets the clock.</p>
<p>Also, be careful of your safety, and be aware of any Earth-born hazards when viewing the night sky. One of us (Jonti) had a real shock as a teenager, when observing the Perseid meteor shower from an isolated golf course. At about 10pm he heard a “whoosh”, and was almost drenched by a previously unseen sprinkler!</p>
<p>So good luck, set your alarm clock, and hope for clear skies for this year’s Geminids!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/52068/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A darkened moon is promising to allow us to see one of the best meteor showers of the year, so long as the skies are clear.Jonti Horner, Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/466362015-08-28T13:30:17Z2015-08-28T13:30:17ZSix amazing sights that look even better from the International Space Station<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92927/original/image-20150825-15875-1pkpm9z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hurricane Arthur photographed by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">ESA/NASA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine seeing the lights of cities spreading around <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1923.html">the Nile Delta</a> and then in less than an hour gazing down on <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_152.html">Mount Everest</a>. The astronauts on the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html">International Space Station</a> (ISS) are among the lucky few who will have this humbling, once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing the beauty of Earth from space. </p>
<p>The ISS doesn’t just offer spectacular and countless views of the natural and man-made landscapes of our planet. It also immerses its residents into the Earth’s space environment and reveals how dynamic its atmosphere is, from its lower layers to its protective <a href="http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/earths-magnetosphere">magnetic shield</a>, constantly swept by the solar wind.</p>
<p>The best views are seen from <a href="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Views_from_Cupola">the Cupola</a>, an observation deck module attached to the ISS in 2010 and comprising seven windows. So, what are the amazing sights that you can see from the space station?</p>
<h2>1. Storms and lightning</h2>
<p>When the ISS orbits over a sea of thunderclouds, it’s not rare for astronauts to witness an impressive amount of lightning. What is unusual, however, is seeing lightning sprites, which were <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=86463">observed on August 10th</a> by astronauts aboard the space station.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92911/original/image-20150825-17055-o3talf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92911/original/image-20150825-17055-o3talf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92911/original/image-20150825-17055-o3talf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92911/original/image-20150825-17055-o3talf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92911/original/image-20150825-17055-o3talf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92911/original/image-20150825-17055-o3talf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92911/original/image-20150825-17055-o3talf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">ISS astronauts spotted a sprite (the red jellyfish-like structure on the right of the image) appearing above thunder clouds on August 10, 2015.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NASA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sprites are electrical discharges, similar to thunder lights. However, instead of occurring in the lower layer of Earth’s atmosphere, these very fast, red-coloured discharges (due to the excited nitrogen at this altitude) occur much higher up and are as such difficult to observe from the ground.</p>
<h2>2. Sunrises and sunsets</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92928/original/image-20150825-15896-1ar0fkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92928/original/image-20150825-15896-1ar0fkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92928/original/image-20150825-15896-1ar0fkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92928/original/image-20150825-15896-1ar0fkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92928/original/image-20150825-15896-1ar0fkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92928/original/image-20150825-15896-1ar0fkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92928/original/image-20150825-15896-1ar0fkw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sunset over the Indian Ocean.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NASA/ESA/G Bacon</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With the ISS orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes, astronauts can see the Sun rise and set around 16 times every 24 hours. The dramatic views from the station display a rainbow-like horizon as the Sun appears and disappears beyond the horizon.</p>
<p>The changes in colour are due to the angle of the solar rays and their scattering in the Earth’s atmosphere. If similar jaw-dropping views can be seen from Earth, seeing our mother planet lit up in the rising Sun certainly adds to the intensity of the picture.</p>
<h2>3. Stars and the Milky Way</h2>
<figure>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/38409143" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Amazing sightings of distant astronomical objects as seen from the space shuttle.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>From the ground, atmospheric conditions and light pollution affect our ability to see stars and other celestial bodies. As light travels through layers of hot and cold air, the bending of its rays render a flickering image of these distant objects, while atmospheric particles such as dust prevent from seeing fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies.</p>
<p>The lack of an atmosphere at the orbiting altitude of the ISS allows the residents on the space station to see the stars, the Milky Way and other astronomical features with much greater clarity than is possible on Earth.</p>
<h2>4. Meteor showers</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92916/original/image-20150825-17096-duu601.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92916/original/image-20150825-17096-duu601.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92916/original/image-20150825-17096-duu601.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92916/original/image-20150825-17096-duu601.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92916/original/image-20150825-17096-duu601.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92916/original/image-20150825-17096-duu601.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92916/original/image-20150825-17096-duu601.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The disintegration of a Perseid meteor photographed in August 2011 from the ISS.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NASA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Astronauts aboard the ISS can also witness the disintegration of meteoroids in the Earth’s atmosphere. Those small bodies are fragments detached from celestial bodies such as asteroids and comets. As they enter in the Earth’s atmosphere at great speed, the heat due to the body interaction with air rapidly destroys them. Whereas the chance of seeing them from the ground is very much weather dependent, being on the ISS guarantees the best seats to watch these shooting stars flaming across our planet’s sky.</p>
<h2>5. Auroras</h2>
<p>Also known as northern and southern lights, auroras are created when solar storms, consisting of large magnetised clouds of energetic particles launched from the sun, or strong <a href="http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/solar-wind">solar wind</a>, interact with the Earth’s magnetic shield. Upon collision with the Earth, these solar streams energise particles within the planet’s magnetic shield.</p>
<figure>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/130263115" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Time lapses showing the ISS travelling through auroras.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When they enter the upper layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, these energetic particles excite nitrogen and oxygen atoms present at these altitudes. Then when they return from their excited state, these atoms emit light of different colours indicative of the amount of energy they absorbed. This typically produces green and red, ribbon-like curtains. </p>
<h2>6. Cosmic rays</h2>
<p><a href="http://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcr.html">Galactic cosmic rays</a> aren’t really a phenomenon you can see. These energetic sub-atomic particles come from intense astronomical sources such as exploding stars or black holes. If they pass into the body they can damage tissue and break DNA, causing various diseases over the course of time.</p>
<p>Most cosmic rays do not penetrate in the thick atmosphere of the Earth. Since the ISS sits outside this protected zone, its astronauts are much more likely to be struck by the particles. Astronauts regularly see <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0042698905006735">flashes of light</a> when they close their eyes, which is thought to be caused by cosmic rays interacting with body parts that play role in vision, such as the optic nerve or visual centres in the brain.</p>
<p>Solar storms, which have a strong magnetic structure, act as a shield against cosmic rays. A solar storm passing by the Earth can be indirectly witnessed by astronauts aboard the ISS via a drop in the count of cosmic rays, also known as the “<a href="http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2005/07oct_afraid/">Forbush decrease</a>”. What a sensation it must be to “feel” a storm passing by the Earth’s system.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/46636/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Miho Janvier does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Astronauts living on the ISS get to experience the wonders of the universe’s natural phenomena like no one else.Miho Janvier, Lecturer in Mathematics, University of DundeeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/459622015-08-11T14:47:12Z2015-08-11T14:47:12ZNight sky puts on a meteor shower to celebrate Rosetta’s closest approach to the sun<p>A firework display is often the finale of a celebratory event, something that many people can experience and enjoy at the same time. This week, the 9 – 14th August, we should be seeing a firework display with a difference: rather than sparks shooting from the ground upwards, they will be falling downwards. And there is actually something worth celebrating up there, as comet <a href="67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko">67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko</a> simultaneously reaches its closest approach to the sun.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/perseids.cfm">Perseid meteor shower</a>, which <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/11/perseid-meteor-shower-how-best-to-observe-the-skies-tonight-and-tomorrow">reaches its maximum on 12 August</a>, is an annual event in the northern hemisphere which frequently garners media attention, mainly because it occurs in the middle of the summer holiday. A story about cosmic fireworks is a sure winner for a slow news day, especially given that people may be away from city lights, and able to see the night sky more clearly than usual. </p>
<p>Meteors, or shooting stars, are <a href="http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/meteors.html">dust particles</a> the size of sand grains that travel through the atmosphere, about 50 miles above the Earth’s surface. They <a href="http://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-faq/">move fast</a> – some 20-30 kilometres per second – and friction between the particle and the atmosphere at that speed causes them to heat up, emitting light. The grains aren’t burning up, they are evaporating into a plasma, which exists for a split second, before extinguishing. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/91428/original/image-20150811-11059-5i4hqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/91428/original/image-20150811-11059-5i4hqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91428/original/image-20150811-11059-5i4hqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91428/original/image-20150811-11059-5i4hqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91428/original/image-20150811-11059-5i4hqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91428/original/image-20150811-11059-5i4hqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91428/original/image-20150811-11059-5i4hqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The 1833 Leonids meteor shower depicted for the Adventist book Bible Readings for the Home Circle.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonids">wikimedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nothing lands from a meteor. And neither do they go bang like a firework – the most they might do is sizzle a little bit – but you would have to be somewhere extremely quiet to hear them. A shooting star is generally white, but <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/media/shooting-star-spec/">they can be coloured</a>, mainly green or orange depending on their composition. Orange is from sodium, the same colour that stains the night sky in cities, with reflected light from street lights.</p>
<p>On most nights of the year, around <a href="http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-blogs/explore-night-bob-king/random-meteors-arent-random02112015/">six meteors per hour</a> can be seen, assuming the skies are clear. These sporadic meteors emanate from random bits of dust from asteroids or comets. At certain times of the year, though, the count goes up to more like 100 meteors per hour. Such meteor showers or storms are connected with specific comets, which is why we are able to predict them. </p>
<p>The Perseids are associated with comet <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Com_109PSwiftTuttle">Swift-Tuttle</a>, which takes 133 years to travel around our solar system. It was last at perihelion (its closest approach to the sun) in 1995. Each time the comet comes to the inner solar system, it sheds dust. Over time, this debris has built up, and is smeared out along the entire track of the orbit. Once a year, in August, the Earth’s orbit crosses that of comet Swift-Tuttle, and dust from the comet is captured. </p>
<p>If you record a meteor shower, it seems as if all the tracks come from a single point – the radiant. For the Perseids, the radiant is in the constellation of Perseus, which is in the north-east part of the sky. The shooting stars aren’t coming from Perseus, they just appear to be, in the same way that the parallel tracks of a railway line appear to converge as they disappear into the distance.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/91445/original/image-20150811-11110-1klk211.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/91445/original/image-20150811-11110-1klk211.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91445/original/image-20150811-11110-1klk211.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91445/original/image-20150811-11110-1klk211.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91445/original/image-20150811-11110-1klk211.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91445/original/image-20150811-11110-1klk211.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91445/original/image-20150811-11110-1klk211.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Radiant in a meteor shower.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Radiantrp.jpg">Anton, wikimedia.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>All eyes on 67P</h2>
<p>At the same time that the Perseids are lighting up the night skies, 67P <a href="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Rosetta_preparing_for_perihelion">reaches its perihelion</a> – the point at which its activity is expected to be at its highest. This is a prime focus of the <a href="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta">Rosetta mission</a>: the spacecraft has been travelling alongside 67P for a year, observing development of the comet’s tail, how the nucleus has outgassed and where jets have formed. </p>
<p>Over the past few months we have been treated to <a href="http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Missions/Rosetta">amazing images</a> of the nucleus, and the spacecraft has had to retreat further and further away from the comet as the amount of dust increased, causing a hazard to the navigation systems. I must make it clear that even though I have linked them in this column, the Perseid meteor shower is not connected with comet 67P or the Rosetta mission.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/91430/original/image-20150811-11077-9s8uwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/91430/original/image-20150811-11077-9s8uwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91430/original/image-20150811-11077-9s8uwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91430/original/image-20150811-11077-9s8uwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91430/original/image-20150811-11077-9s8uwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91430/original/image-20150811-11077-9s8uwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/91430/original/image-20150811-11077-9s8uwe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In the approach to perihelion, Rosetta has recorded growing activity from 67P, including this powerful jet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Comet_s_firework_display_ahead_of_perihelion">ESA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over the coming year, Rosetta will watch as the comet moves away from the sun, causing the tail to die away and the surface to re-freeze. Then, the spacecraft will be able to get closer to the nucleus again. We should hear more from the <a href="https://theconversation.com/philae-phones-home-but-the-mission-is-about-to-get-riskier-43261">Philae lander</a> (assuming communications get sorted out), and see additional fantastic pictures of the comet’s rugged surface.</p>
<p>What we probably won’t see is a display of cometary fireworks from the Perseids. In the UK, at least, the prediction of a storm of shooting stars is almost inevitably the cue for a week of unbroken cloud. Still, if you are in the northern hemisphere, look to the north-east after midnight – and if you wish to wish upon a shooting star, I hope you manage to see at least one.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/45962/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<h4 class="border">Disclosure</h4><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Monica Grady receives funding from the STFC and is a Trustee of Lunar Mission One</span></em></p>From a meteor shower to 67P’s closest approach to the sun: prepare to be amazed by comets.Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/357542015-02-08T19:48:56Z2015-02-08T19:48:56ZExplainer: why meteors light up the night sky<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68130/original/image-20150103-8229-xu8pts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A bright fireball over the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, ALMA, in Chile, marks the fiery death of a small grain of space debris, high in the atmosphere.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1414a/">ESO/C. Malin</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Meteors have been seen since people first looked at the night sky. They are comprised of small pieces of debris, typically no larger than a grain of dust or sand, which continually crash into the Earth’s atmosphere. </p>
<p>As that debris plunges deeper and deeper, friction with the atmosphere causes it to ablate – burning up from the outside in. This usually occurs within the mesosphere, typically at a height of about 80km. </p>
<p>The larger the debris, or the faster it is moving, the brighter the resulting meteor. The slowest particles hit our atmosphere at a speed of about 12km/s, with the fastest travelling at up to 72km/s. </p>
<p>This extreme speed is what allows these tiny objects to burn so brightly. The kinetic energy an object carries is proportional to its mass multiplied by its velocity squared, meaning that minuscule grains moving really fast carry vast amounts of energy.</p>
<p>That energy is converted to light, which is what we see when a meteor flashes in the night sky. </p>
<h2>First, some terminology</h2>
<p>There is some confusion over what is meant by particular terms, which are often mixed up in casual conversation, and the popular press. So here’s the breakdown:</p>
<p><strong>Meteoroid:</strong> Any piece of small rock, metal or ice moving through space. The closer you look, the more pieces of debris there are, although the smallest are quickly blown to interstellar space by the radiation pouring from our sun. </p>
<p><strong>Meteor:</strong> The visible flash of light observed as a meteoroid ablates in the Earth’s atmosphere.</p>
<p><strong>Meteorite:</strong> If an object makes it through the atmosphere to reach the ground, it is called a meteorite. Meteorites range from a few grams to many tonnes in mass, with the smallest and lightest falling most frequently. The most massive meteorite found to date is the <a href="http://geology.com/records/largest-meteorite/">Hoba meteorite</a>, from Namibia, with a mass of about 66 tonnes.</p>
<p><strong>Fireball:</strong> A meteor that is unusually bright, outshining almost everything in the night sky. Typically, any meteor brighter than magnitude -4 (i.e. brighter than Venus) is considered a fireball.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dpmXyJrs7iU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">This is no ordinary meteor. This is a fireball.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>Micrometeoroid:</strong> The smallest meteoroids – effectively cosmic dust – so tiny that they can enter the Earth’s atmosphere without ablating, as friction with the most tenuous layers of Earth’s atmosphere rapidly slows their entry. These minuscule grains are more like particles of smoke. They can reach Earth’s surface intact, and many have been <a href="http://www.washington.edu/research/pathbreakers/1970b.html">collected by aircraft</a> for scientific study.</p>
<h2>Meteorite: fall vs find</h2>
<p>When scientists study newly recovered meteorites, they break them up into two types – falls and finds.</p>
<p>Most meteorites are located long after they fell, often years or even centuries ago, so they will have suffered the effect of weathering and chemical processes here on Earth. Known as “finds”, these make up the bulk of meteorites collected, and include many found on the icy surface of Antarctica.</p>
<p>“Falls” are far more valuable and rarer. These are meteorites whose passage through the atmosphere has been observed and reported. This allows scientists to find them before they have been affected by weathering or other processes on Earth.</p>
<p>So valuable are “falls” that networks are being set up to try to track and recover such objects. One such is the <a href="http://www.fireballsinthesky.com.au/">Australian Desert Fireball Network</a> which you can help by reporting any particularly spectacular fireball you see, just in case something fell that can be recovered. </p>
<h2>Meteor showers</h2>
<p>On any clear dark night, a keen-eyed observer can see between five and ten meteors per hour, with the rates increasing toward dawn (see graphic below for why). These “sporadics” occur when Earth collides with random debris as it follows its orbit around the Sun.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/70634/original/image-20150130-25942-1mz36uc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/70634/original/image-20150130-25942-1mz36uc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/70634/original/image-20150130-25942-1mz36uc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/70634/original/image-20150130-25942-1mz36uc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/70634/original/image-20150130-25942-1mz36uc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/70634/original/image-20150130-25942-1mz36uc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=590&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/70634/original/image-20150130-25942-1mz36uc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=590&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/70634/original/image-20150130-25942-1mz36uc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=590&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Conversation</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At certain times of the year the dust through which Earth moves is significantly denser and so <a href="https://theconversation.com/natures-fireworks-the-best-meteor-showers-coming-in-2015-35906">meteor showers</a> occur. </p>
<p>Comets (<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-geminids-meteor-shower-should-be-one-of-the-best-this-year-34922">and some asteroids</a>) shed material as they swing close to the sun, and that debris continues to move on an orbit similar to that of its parent. </p>
<p>After a comet’s orbit first brings it close enough to the sun to out-gas, it will continue to shed dust and gas with every perihelion passage. This dust slowly spreads around the comet’s orbit, following almost identical paths but with slightly longer or shorter orbital periods.</p>
<p>Consequently, the orbits of these objects become clad in debris. The density of material increases as you approach the parent’s orbit, and the source itself. If the orbital orientation is just right, the Earth will move through those swathes at the same time each year, and an annual meteor shower is born.</p>
<p>Because the debris is moving in the same direction as it hits the Earth, the meteors in a given shower will appear to radiate from a small area on the night sky, known as the radiant. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62057/original/qvt6rxd3-1413513303.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62057/original/qvt6rxd3-1413513303.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62057/original/qvt6rxd3-1413513303.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62057/original/qvt6rxd3-1413513303.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62057/original/qvt6rxd3-1413513303.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=571&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62057/original/qvt6rxd3-1413513303.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=571&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62057/original/qvt6rxd3-1413513303.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=571&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Meteors streak outwards from the top of Orion’s head as seen in 2012 from central Victoria.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://philhart.com/content/40-orionid-meteors-23rd-october-2011">Phil Hart</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is purely a matter of perspective. As the debris moves towards our vantage point, the particles appear to diverge as they burn up in the mesosphere. </p>
<p>With one exception (the Quadrantids), meteor showers are named for the constellation from which they appear to radiate – the Geminids radiate from Gemini while the Leonids come from Leo. </p>
<p>The Quadrantids are instead named in memory of a dead constellation – Quadrans Muralis – which was subsumed into Boötes when the current approved list of 88 constellations was finalised by the International Astronomical Union, in 1922.</p>
<h2>Showers and storms, young and old</h2>
<p>With each swing around the sun, the parent of a meteor shower adds more material to its debris stream, which continues to spread and disperse to space. As a result, meteor showers change as they age.</p>
<p>Young meteor streams are often narrow, containing a high density of material near to their parent object, with little elsewhere. If the Earth intersects one of these narrow, dense filaments, a meteor storm can result, with thousands or even tens of thousands of meteors per hour. Such storms are rare, but can sometimes be <a href="http://www.arm.ac.uk/preprints/386.pdf">predicted in advance</a>. </p>
<p>In years without a meter storm, young meteor showers typically display low rates, with activity that varies depending on the distance from the parent in a given year. Famous examples include the Leonids and the Draconids.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68131/original/image-20150103-8204-5pi34t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68131/original/image-20150103-8204-5pi34t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/68131/original/image-20150103-8204-5pi34t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68131/original/image-20150103-8204-5pi34t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68131/original/image-20150103-8204-5pi34t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=919&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68131/original/image-20150103-8204-5pi34t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68131/original/image-20150103-8204-5pi34t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/68131/original/image-20150103-8204-5pi34t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1154&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A woodcut depicting the great Leonid storm of 1833, when up to a hundred thousand meteors per hour were observed from the United States.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leonids-1833.jpg">Adolf Vollmy/Wikimedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Meteor showers in their prime are relatively broad, with the Earth encountering debris for a week or more. They provide a long period of low rates, and gradually build to a relatively sharp maximum.</p>
<p>At their centre, such showers retain a relatively dense stream of material, released too recently to have fully dispersed, leading to rates of up to (or in excess of) a hundred meteors per hour. </p>
<p>The main meteor showers of a normal year, such as the Eta Aquariids, <a href="https://theconversation.com/see-one-of-the-years-best-meteor-showers-thanks-to-halleys-comet-33091">Orionids</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-geminids-meteor-shower-should-be-one-of-the-best-this-year-34922">Geminids</a>, are good examples.</p>
<p>Old meteor streams, laid down in the distant past, are typically very dispersed and take the Earth a month or more to cross. Within those streams, debris is well spread out, and only a few meteors per hour can be seen. </p>
<p>If the parent of a given shower is deflected to a new orbit, or runs out of volatiles, its stream continues to disperse with rates gradually falling until they are indistinguishable from the sporadic background.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://meteorshowersonline.com/showers/taurids.html">Taurid shower</a>, visible from September to December each year, is the most famous example of an old meteor stream, albeit one that can <a href="http://star.arm.ac.uk/%7Edja/taurid/swarmyears.html">still offer surprises</a>!</p>
<h2>Ghosts of comets past</h2>
<p>Sometimes a comet falls apart, fragmenting and disintegrating to nothingness. A great example of this was <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/003d.html">comet 3D/Biela</a>, which fell apart in spectacular fashion in the 19th century. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/70562/original/image-20150130-14845-1pmohzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/70562/original/image-20150130-14845-1pmohzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/70562/original/image-20150130-14845-1pmohzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/70562/original/image-20150130-14845-1pmohzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/70562/original/image-20150130-14845-1pmohzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/70562/original/image-20150130-14845-1pmohzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/70562/original/image-20150130-14845-1pmohzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/70562/original/image-20150130-14845-1pmohzq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sketch of Comet 3D/Biela made in February 1846, a few weeks after the comet had split into two pieces. After its next apparition, in 1852, the comet was never seen again, and is thought to have disintegrated.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CometBiela.jpg">E. Weiß/Wikimedia</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The debris of that disintegration continued to orbit the sun and provided a spectacular epitaph for the comet with the Andromedid meteor storms.</p>
<p>Two particularly spectacular outbursts of meteors were seen in 1872 and 1885 from the shower tied to the comet, as the Earth passed through its slowly dispersing remains.</p>
<h2>Meteor showers to come</h2>
<p>Over the centuries, meteor showers wax and wane. The orbits of some showers rotate so that they no longer encounter Earth, and their rates peter out to nothing.</p>
<p>Others streams rotate in, birthing new showers, and fresh streams are born as comets are flung onto new orbits. </p>
<p>As a result, astronomers are continually alert to the birth of new showers. </p>
<p>With every newly discovered asteroid or comet whose orbit approaches the Earth, astronomers check whether a meteor shower could result. This leads to predictions of potential new showers, such as last year’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-nights-tale-will-a-new-meteor-shower-light-up-northern-skies-26820">Camelopardalids</a>. </p>
<p>Even given everything we know, however, we can <a href="http://www.space.com/6088-nasa-surprised-unexpected-meteor-outburst.html">still be caught by surprise</a>. So it can be well worth gazing at the sky on any clear night, just in case you get to catch the birth of a new shower.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35754/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Meteors have been seen since people first looked at the night sky. They are comprised of small pieces of debris, typically no larger than a grain of dust or sand, which continually crash into the Earth’s…Jonti Horner, Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, University of Southern QueenslandDonna Burton, PhD Candidate, University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/359062015-01-27T19:22:38Z2015-01-27T19:22:38ZNature’s fireworks: the best meteor showers coming in 2015<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/70064/original/image-20150126-24546-rh5psg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A group of excited observers during a peak of the Geminids meteor shower.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tasayu/8271484411">Flickr/Tasayu Tasnaphun</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Watching meteors in the night sky can be fun, although typically you only see a few flashes an hour. But there are certain times of the year when you can see many more – events known as meteor showers.</p>
<p>These are caused by Earth moving through streams of debris left behind by passing comets and asteroids. Such showers are typically active for several days or even weeks, but usually feature short, sharp climaxes, or “maxima,” with their best rates being visible on just a single night.</p>
<p>The coming year promises to be another good one for meteor buffs, so here’s a guide on what to expect and how best to enjoy nature’s own firework displays.</p>
<h2>Alpha Centaurids: maximum February 8</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69307/original/image-20150118-5158-1qkrdjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69307/original/image-20150118-5158-1qkrdjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69307/original/image-20150118-5158-1qkrdjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69307/original/image-20150118-5158-1qkrdjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69307/original/image-20150118-5158-1qkrdjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69307/original/image-20150118-5158-1qkrdjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=644&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69307/original/image-20150118-5158-1qkrdjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=644&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69307/original/image-20150118-5158-1qkrdjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=644&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The location of the Alpha Centaurid radiant at 4am on February 8, as seen from Perth.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tanya Hill</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Extending from January 28 to February 21, and peaking on February 8, this shower is known for producing brightly coloured fireballs with long-lasting trains varying from a few seconds to several minutes. </p>
<p>In most years, the Alpha Centaurids produce relatively low rates, with a typical maximum producing just six meteors per hour. But observers in 1974 and 1980 reported outbursts with rates of about 30 meteors per hour. </p>
<p>This year, unfortunately, the moon will greatly hamper observations. However, the <a href="http://www.imo.net/">International Meteor Organisation</a> has predicted a possible outburst in activity, and have asked for observers to be on the lookout.</p>
<p>So despite the poor conditions, it could well be worth having a look – particularly given the frequency with which the shower produces bright fireballs.</p>
<h2>Lyrids: maximum April 22</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69308/original/image-20150118-5191-19cac1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69308/original/image-20150118-5191-19cac1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69308/original/image-20150118-5191-19cac1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69308/original/image-20150118-5191-19cac1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69308/original/image-20150118-5191-19cac1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69308/original/image-20150118-5191-19cac1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69308/original/image-20150118-5191-19cac1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69308/original/image-20150118-5191-19cac1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Radiant for the Lyrid meteor shower, as seen from Brisbane at 5am on April 22.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tanya Hill</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Observations of the Lyrids have been traced back through history for more than 2,600 years – longer than any other meteor shower known. At the current epoch, however, they typically only yield moderate rates of perhaps ten meteors per hour, and are challenging to observe from Australia. </p>
<p>Despite this, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-lyrids-meteor-shower-should-put-on-a-show-overnight-25746">the Lyrids are always worth a look</a>, particularly if you have the good fortune to live far from light-polluted skies. </p>
<p>This year, there is the potential for them to put on a stronger-than-average display, and the moon will not interfere, making this an ideal opportunity to observe a shower with a <a href="http://meteorshowersonline.com/lyrids.html">long and storied history</a>.</p>
<h2>Eta Aquariids: maximum about May 6</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69224/original/image-20150116-5185-wuebqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69224/original/image-20150116-5185-wuebqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69224/original/image-20150116-5185-wuebqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69224/original/image-20150116-5185-wuebqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69224/original/image-20150116-5185-wuebqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69224/original/image-20150116-5185-wuebqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69224/original/image-20150116-5185-wuebqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69224/original/image-20150116-5185-wuebqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The radiant of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, as seen from Melbourne at 5am local time, on May 6.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tanya Hill</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Alert observers in the pre-dawn hours of early May each year are treated to a display of meteors whose parent comet, 1P/Halley (Halley’s Comet), is the most famous of them all. Typically, the shower produces a few tens of meteors per hour – but in 2013, enhanced activity was observed, with rates as high as about 130 per hour. </p>
<p>In 2015, moonlight will greatly hinder observations at the time of the maximum – with the moon only two days past full. Nevertheless, the Eta Aquariids are one of the year’s best southern showers, and still well worth observing, in the hours before dawn.</p>
<h2>The Perseids: maximum about August 13</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69225/original/image-20150116-5185-liozy3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69225/original/image-20150116-5185-liozy3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69225/original/image-20150116-5185-liozy3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69225/original/image-20150116-5185-liozy3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69225/original/image-20150116-5185-liozy3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69225/original/image-20150116-5185-liozy3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69225/original/image-20150116-5185-liozy3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69225/original/image-20150116-5185-liozy3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The radiant of the Perseid meteor shower, as seen from Darwin at 5am on August 13. The Perseids are only visible from the very northern reaches of Australia, just before dawn.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tanya Hill</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Perseids are one of the year’s most reliable and best showers – albeit one that is essentially invisible to Australian observers. For viewers in the northern hemisphere, however, they provide an annual summer treat that rivals the winter Geminids in intensity and spectacle.</p>
<p>The Perseids are fast, bright meteors, tied to the famous comet <a href="http://cometography.com/pcomets/109p.html">109P/Swift-Tuttle</a>, which is set to be particularly spectacular at its next perihelion passage, in 2126. The shower is active from mid-July to the end of August, but is at its best on the nights of the August 12 and 13, when rates often exceed 100 meteors per hour.</p>
<p>It will doubtless be possible to follow the shower online. And if you happen to be in the northern hemisphere at the time, the Perseids are well worth a look.</p>
<h2>Orionids: maximum about October 21</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69226/original/image-20150116-5177-fdguh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69226/original/image-20150116-5177-fdguh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69226/original/image-20150116-5177-fdguh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69226/original/image-20150116-5177-fdguh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69226/original/image-20150116-5177-fdguh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69226/original/image-20150116-5177-fdguh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69226/original/image-20150116-5177-fdguh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69226/original/image-20150116-5177-fdguh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The radiant of the Orionid meteors, at 1am local time in Melbourne on the October 21.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tanya Hill</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Earth again runs through debris left behind by comet 1P/Halley in October each year, causing the <a href="https://theconversation.com/see-one-of-the-years-best-meteor-showers-thanks-to-halleys-comet-33091">Orionid meteor shower</a>. Though weaker than the Eta Aquariids, the Orionids are better known and better studied, as they are more favourable for northern hemisphere observers.</p>
<p>This year, the moon sets around midnight on the night of Orionid maximum, so those up after midnight could be treated to a display of perhaps a dozen fast-moving meteors per hour.</p>
<h2>Taurid swarm encounter: early November</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69227/original/image-20150116-5170-1f6p1ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69227/original/image-20150116-5170-1f6p1ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69227/original/image-20150116-5170-1f6p1ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69227/original/image-20150116-5170-1f6p1ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69227/original/image-20150116-5170-1f6p1ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69227/original/image-20150116-5170-1f6p1ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69227/original/image-20150116-5170-1f6p1ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69227/original/image-20150116-5170-1f6p1ak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=537&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The radiant of the Taurid meteor streams, as seen at midnight local time in Melbourne, on November 5.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tanya Hill</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Through the course of the year, the Earth spends around five months ploughing through debris in the Taurid stream - thought to be a vast swathe of material left behind by the <a href="http://star.arm.ac.uk/%7Eaac/zetataur.html">breakup of a super-comet</a>, in the distant past. </p>
<p>Taurid meteors can be observed between September and December every year, with typically low rates throughout. The maximum usually falls in early November – when rates are usually of order ten per hour. </p>
<p>Every few years, however, the Taurids exhibit unusual behaviour. Somewhat elevated rates have been observed with each return of the “<a href="http://star.arm.ac.uk/%7Edja/taurid/swarmyears.html">Taurid swarm</a>”. In addition, swarm returns seem to feature an increased number of bright meteors and fireballs. </p>
<p>Calculations suggest that there could be a <a href="http://star.arm.ac.uk/%7Edja/taurid/swarmyears.html">strong return of the Taurid swarm</a> this November, so it is well worth keeping watch during the early November, just in case!</p>
<h2>The Geminids: maximum December 14 and 15</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69228/original/image-20150116-5158-8md3el.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69228/original/image-20150116-5158-8md3el.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69228/original/image-20150116-5158-8md3el.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69228/original/image-20150116-5158-8md3el.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69228/original/image-20150116-5158-8md3el.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69228/original/image-20150116-5158-8md3el.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69228/original/image-20150116-5158-8md3el.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69228/original/image-20150116-5158-8md3el.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The radiant of the Geminid meteor shower, as seen from Brisbane at 11pm local time, on December 14.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tanya Hill</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The best shower of the year, the Geminids, is also the last of note for southern observers. This year, the maximum falls at around 3am or 4am on December 15, and conditions will be about as perfect as they can be for observation. The moon will be just past new, setting before the Geminid radiant – the point in the sky from where the meteors appear to originate – rises. </p>
<p>Once the radiant reaches a reasonable altitude (an hour or two after it rises), the Geminids will put on a spectacular display, with the best rates visible in the early hours. </p>
<p>At that time, the radiant will be at its highest in the sky, meaning we here in Australia have a prime seat to observe the maximum of the year’s best, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-geminids-meteor-shower-should-be-one-of-the-best-this-year-34922">and potentially oddest</a>, meteor shower.</p>
<p>Geminid meteors are relatively slow, and can often be both bright and long-burning – shining just a little longer than those from other showers. This is a direct result of their unusual genesis: they are the only meteor shower known to be parented by an asteroid, rather than a comet. </p>
<p>As a result, their meteoroids are denser and stronger than the norm. This means they can ablate – or shed material as they pass through the atmosphere – just that little bit longer before their flight is done, adding to the spectacle they produce.</p>
<h2>Observing tips</h2>
<p>The best way to see any meteor or meteor shower is to find a location well away from street lights. You can still watch for meteors from the middle of a city, but you will see reduced rates, thanks to the influence of <a href="http://www.globeatnight.org/light-pollution.php">light pollution</a>. </p>
<p>Sit, or lie, under the stars for at least 15 or 20 minutes to let your <a href="http://oneminuteastronomer.com/88/dark-adaptation/">eyes adapt to the darkness</a>. Our eyes start to adjust immediately but it takes at least this long to fully adapt.</p>
<p>Remember, any bright light (such as checking your phone) will dazzle you. To avoid this, take a red light torch to help you find things – red light doesn’t damage our dark adaption, so is safe to use when observing the night sky.</p>
<p>When observing, try to look about 30 to 45 degrees to the left or right of the radiant, and about 30 to 45 degrees above the horizon. This maximises the layer of atmosphere through which you’ll be looking, while remaining high enough above the horizon that pollution and water in the air will not spoil the view.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62053/original/bxv2y92m-1413510775.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62053/original/bxv2y92m-1413510775.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/62053/original/bxv2y92m-1413510775.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62053/original/bxv2y92m-1413510775.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62053/original/bxv2y92m-1413510775.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62053/original/bxv2y92m-1413510775.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62053/original/bxv2y92m-1413510775.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/62053/original/bxv2y92m-1413510775.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If you want to report your sightings to help astronomers search for any possible meteorite falls, then check out the <a href="http://www.fireballsinthesky.com.au/">Fireballs in the Sky website and app</a>, from researchers at Curtin University.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35906/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Watching meteors in the night sky can be fun, although typically you only see a few flashes an hour. But there are certain times of the year when you can see many more – events known as meteor showers…Jonti Horner, Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, University of Southern QueenslandDonna Burton, PhD Candidate, University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/349222014-12-11T19:36:51Z2014-12-11T19:36:51ZThe Geminids meteor shower should be one of the best this year<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66676/original/image-20141209-5168-129z0am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Image captured December 2013 of several Geminids meteors seen from the Observatorio del Teide (IAC) in Tenerife.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65131760@N06/11366751916">Flickr/StarryEarth</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The best meteor shower of the year should put on an impressive display this weekend – weather permitting – with the annual Geminids poised to light up the sky with bright, long meteors visible as frequently as every couple of minutes.</p>
<p>Meteor showers occur when the Earth ploughs through trails of debris as it spins its yearly course around the sun.</p>
<p>This weekend, the Earth will pass through the densest part of a debris trail left behind by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon. The resulting meteor shower, known as the Geminids, will reach its peak late on Sunday evening, December 14 in Australia (see <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/geminids.html">here</a> for times in other locations).</p>
<h2>The best of the ‘big three’</h2>
<p>In a typical year there are three annual meteor showers that stand head and shoulders above the rest.</p>
<p>January’s Quadrantids and August’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/northern-perseids-battle-the-moon-30409">Perseids</a> are only really visible to observers in the northern hemisphere. But this month’s Geminids are visible in both hemispheres and so provide a spectacle to brighten Australian summer nights.</p>
<p>One of the things that makes the Geminids so spectacular is that each meteor seems to last just a little bit longer than those in other showers. The reason is down to their unusual heritage – this is the only meteor shower known whose parent body is an asteroid, rather than a comet. </p>
<p>Most meteor showers are made up of fragile, fluffy dust grains shed by a comet. These grains are shed as the comet nears the sun.</p>
<p>In contrast, the Geminids are thought to be rocky fragments, eroded from the surface of the asteroid Phaethon. </p>
<h2>We love a sun-burned asteroid</h2>
<p>Phaethon swings closer to the surface of the sun than any other named asteroid – passing perihelion (closest to the sun) at a distance of about 20 million kilometres, well inside the orbit of Mercury.</p>
<p>That close to the sun, Phaethon’s surface is baked by radiation a factor of 50 times as intense as that at the top of Earth’s atmosphere (roughly 68,000 watts per square metre, against the Earth’s about 1,360 watts per square metre).</p>
<p>At its most distant, Phaethon is almost 2.5 times further from the sun than Earth, and hence receives far less radiation at that point.</p>
<p>As a result, Phaethon’s surface is continually forced to expand and contract as it experiences some of the most extreme temperature variations in the solar system. Such drastic change is thought to gradually fracture the asteroid’s surface, chipping off fragments and creating a stream of debris along the asteroid’s orbit.</p>
<p>Earth passes through this debris each December, and the meteoroids it encounters are significantly denser than those of other meteor showers, thanks to their unusual origin. This allows them to survive longer as they ablate and shine brightly in the night sky.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AGQtZyNbORQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Captured in December 2012, this Geminid is one of the brightest fireballs observed by the NASA network of meteor cameras in over four years of operation.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The origin of the Geminids</h2>
<p>For many years after they were first reported, in the 1860s, the origin of the Geminids remained a mystery.</p>
<p>In the mid-20th century, US astronomer <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/fred-whipple-9529071">Fred Lawrence Whipple</a> tried to solve that mystery. He used a photographic meteor survey to discover that the meteoroids in the Geminid stream moved on an extremely eccentric orbit, with a period of just 1.65 years – an orbit far smaller than those of all known comets.</p>
<p>In 1983, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (<a href="http://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/IRASdocs/iras.html">IRAS</a>) discovered a fast-moving asteroid. Follow-up observations allowed the asteroid’s orbit to be determined, and the result was astonishing. </p>
<p>The asteroid followed an incredibly elongated path, plunging far closer to the sun’s surface than any asteroid known at the time. More surprisingly, its orbit was striking similar to that calculated by Whipple, half a century earlier, for the Geminid meteoroids. </p>
<p>So the mystery of the origin of the Geminids was solved; their parent discovered. The asteroid was named 3200 Phaethon after the son of Apollo, who in Greek mythology drove his father’s chariot too close to the sun.</p>
<p>Thanks to the discovery, astronomers researching meteor streams now check the orbits of newly discovered asteroids, as well as those of comets, to see whether they could one day too spawn new showers. For now, the Geminids remain the only confirmed asteroidal meteor shower.</p>
<h2>So when and where to look?</h2>
<p>Across Australia, the constellation of <a href="http://www.davidmalin.com/fujii/source/Gem.html">Gemini</a>, the twins, rises late in the evening during December and can be seen until sunrise.</p>
<p>From the southern hemisphere we see the twins standing on their heads, as marked by the bright stars <a href="http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/castor.html">Castor</a> and <a href="http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/pollux.html">Pollux</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66856/original/image-20141210-6060-13aemq2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66856/original/image-20141210-6060-13aemq2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66856/original/image-20141210-6060-13aemq2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66856/original/image-20141210-6060-13aemq2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66856/original/image-20141210-6060-13aemq2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66856/original/image-20141210-6060-13aemq2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66856/original/image-20141210-6060-13aemq2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66856/original/image-20141210-6060-13aemq2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The view from Brisbane around 11pm (AEST) Sunday, December 14.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Museum Victoria/Stellarium</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The shower’s radiant (the point in the sky from which the Geminids appear to radiate) is located near the bright star Castor. And the further north you are, the earlier the radiant will rise in the sky:</p>
<ul>
<li>Brisbane: the radiant rises around 9pm (AEST)</li>
<li>Sydney: the radiant rises around 10:30pm (AEDT)</li>
<li>Canberra: the radiant will rise after 10:40pm (AEDT)</li>
<li>Melbourne: the radiant rises just after 11pm (AEDT)</li>
<li>Hobart: the radiant rises around 11:20pm (AEDT)</li>
<li>Darwin: the radiant rises around 9:30pm (ACST)</li>
<li>Adelaide: the radiant rises just before 11pm (ACDT)</li>
<li>Perth: the radiant rises just before 10pm (AWST).</li>
</ul>
<p>In the first hour or so after the radiant rises, the number of Geminids you might see will remain low – but it is well worth going outside, if you have clear skies, for a couple of reasons. </p>
<p>First, it takes time for your eyes to fully adapt to the darkness, so allowing maybe half an hour to become fully dark-adapted is usually a good idea. </p>
<p>Second, and perhaps more important, although the rates just after the radiant rises will be low, the meteors you might see could be spectacular. Known as “earth-grazers”, they often span the sky, giving a beautiful introduction to this wonderful shower.</p>
<p>As the night passes, the radiant will get ever higher in the sky and the number of meteors you see will climb with it. As a result, you should be able to spot a meteor every few minutes. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the moon will rise at around midnight local time in Australia (or 1am local time for daylight savings) at which point the fainter meteors will be washed out. </p>
<p>But so plentiful are the Geminids, and so rich in bright meteors, that the shower should continue to put on a good show for the rest of the early hours of Monday morning.</p>
<p>To see the best display, you should look a short way to the left or right of Gemini in the sky. The further from the radiant you look, the more spectacular the meteors you see will be.</p>
<p>But if you look too far from the source, you will miss those flying in different directions. If you can find the constellation <a href="http://www.davidmalin.com/fujii/source/Ori.html">Orion</a>, that’s usually a great place to spot a good number of Geminids.</p>
<p>So keep your eyes peeled on Sunday night – and you may get to see a natural display of fireworks to bring a fascinating astronomical year to a close.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/34922/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The best meteor shower of the year should put on an impressive display this weekend – weather permitting – with the annual Geminids poised to light up the sky with bright, long meteors visible as frequently…Jonti Horner, Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, University of Southern QueenslandDonna Burton, PhD Candidate, University of Southern QueenslandTanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.