Meteor showers
Twelve showers, and what the Moon does to them
A meteor shower is the Earth crossing the same debris on the same lap of the same orbit, so the dates barely move from year to year. What moves is the Moon, and a full moon costs you most of a shower. These are the twelve annual showers with the Moon computed for each peak between 2026 and 2029.
| Shower | Peak nights | ZHR | Darkest year, 2026–2029 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quadrantids | 3–4 January | 80 | 2027, waning crescent at 13% |
| Lyrids | 22–23 April | 18 | 2028, waning crescent at 3% |
| Eta Aquariids | 5–6 May | 50 | 2027, new moon at 0% |
| Southern Delta Aquariids | 30–31 July | 25 | 2027, waning crescent at 9% |
| Alpha Capricornids | 30–31 July | 5 | 2027, waning crescent at 9% |
| Perseids | 12–13 August | 110 | 2026, new moon at 0% |
| Orionids | 21–22 October | 20 | 2028, waxing crescent at 19% |
| Southern Taurids | 4–5 November | 7 | 2029, waning crescent at 2% |
| Northern Taurids | 11–12 November | 5 | 2026, waxing crescent at 7% |
| Leonids | 16–17 November | 15 | 2028, new moon at 0% |
| Geminids | 13–14 December | 150 | 2028, waning crescent at 6% |
| Ursids | 21–22 December | 10 | 2028, waxing crescent at 32% |
ZHR is the zenithal hourly rate: what one observer would count under a perfect sky with the radiant directly overhead. Nobody has that sky. Treat it as a way to compare showers with each other, not as a number of meteors you will see. Peak dates and rates from the International Meteor Organization, Meteor Shower Calendar (opens in a new tab); the Moon is computed here.