General advice for observing Meteors

    Each meteor shower is named for the constellation – major grouping of stars -- from whose direction the meteors will appear to radiate. Obtain and use a star chart to familiarize yourself with the night sky on your observing date. Many meteor shower radiants do not rise before midnight, making  observation best between midnight and morning twilight. Plan your observing session as close to the date/ time of shower peak as possible. Find a dark observation site, as far from outdoor lights as you can. 
    Moonless skies are the most favorable. Even at crescent or quarter phases you may be able to work around moonlight interference by observing before moonrise, or after moonset. However meteor showers which occur near the time of gibbous or full moon give little such leeway.
    Allow time for your eyes to adjust to dark conditions. If you must have light to consult a star chart or to make notes, use a dim flashlights covered with red cellophane. Telescopes or binoculars are not necessary. A reclining lawn chair or a sleeping bag on the ground are the most comfortable ways to go. Direct your gaze a bit above the midway point between the horizon and the zenith, in the general direction of the shower radiant. The word "shower" is figurative.  Have patience and enjoy Nature's show!

Shower Name (1)	Activity Period (1)	Peak Date/Time (1, 2) EST/EDST	Lunar phase near peak	Gramer's Rating  (3)	Idealized Hourly Rate "ZHR" (1)	Typical Hourly Rate (4)
Quadrantids	Jan.. 1 - 5	Jan. 3, 6 pm		Very Strong	120	10
Virginids	Jan. 25 - Apr. 15	(Mar. 24)		Weak	5	--
Lyrids	Apr. 16 - Apr. 25	Apr. 21, 1 pm		Medium to Strong	18	7
Eta-Aquarids	Apr. 19 - May 28	May 4, 9 am		Strong to Very Strong	60	6
Sagittarids	Apr. 15 - July 15	(May 19)		Weak	5	--
Southern Delta-Aquarids	July 12 - Aug. 19	July 28, 12 am		Strong	20	7
Northern Delta-Aquarids	July 15-Aug. 25	Aug. 8		--	4	--
Perseids	July 17 - Aug. 24	Aug. 11, 4 pm		Very Strong	110	20
Alpha-Aurigids	Aug. 25 - Sept. 5	Aug. 31		Medium	7	--
Delta-Aurigids	Sept. 5 - Oct. 10	Sept. 9		Weak	5	--
Draconids	Oct. 6 - 10	Oct. 8		Very Weak to Very Strong	var.	--
Orionids	Oct. 2 - Nov. 7	Oct. 21, 1 pm		Strong	23	10
Southern Taurids	Oct. 1 - Nov. 25	Nov. 2, 2 am		Weak	5	6
Northern Taurids	Oct. 1 - Nov. 25	Nov. 12		Weak	5	6
Leonids	Nov. 14 - 21	Nov. 17, 3 am		Strong to Very Strong	56+	10
Alpha-Monocerotids	Nov. 15 - 25	Nov. 21		Usually Weak	var.	--
Geminids	Dec. 7 - 17	Dec. 13, 2 am		Very Strong	120	35
Coma Berenicids	Dec. 12 - Jan. 23	Dec. 19		Weak	5	--
Ursids	Dec. 17 - 26	Dec. 22		Medium	10	5

• Notes:
  Major Showers are named in bold.
  Dates in parentheses are uncertain or variable.
  Peaks in parentheses show showers with diffuse activity profiles.
  Peak hour given when available.  Some peaks occur in daylight hours, Eastern Time.  Remember,  the Cosmos does not necessarily favor the East Coast of the USA!

• Sources:  
  (1)  American Meteor Society
  (2)  NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
  (3) Lew Gramer’s meteor page
  (4) American Meteor Society "FAQ" page.  Example based on suburban night skies lit by a quarter moon.  Your luck may be better or worse -- check the  Moon's phase for your observation date.

Key to Lunar phase icons

Phase	Symbol	Moon's approx. age (days)	Likely interference for late evening observation	Phase	Symbol	Moon's approx. age (days)	Likely interference for late evening observation
New Moon		0	None	Full Moon		15	High
Waxing Crescent		4	None	Waning Gibbous		18	None before about 9 pm, then High
First Quarter		7	Moderate, then none after midnight	Last Quarter		22	None until midnight, then Moderate
Waxing Gibbous		11	High until nearly dawn	Waning Crescent		26	None

Useful Web sites

• American Meteor Society  http://www.amsmeteors.org/showers.html
• International Meteor Organization  http://www.amsmeteors.org/imo-mirror/calendar/cal03.html
• Lew Gramer’s Meteor Page  http://www.meteorobs.org/
• NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory meteor table  http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/meteor_streams.html
• NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center meteor observing advice and table for 2004 http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/solarsystem/meteors/Observing.html
• Observing meteors by audio, using ordinary radios and other equipment - American Meteor Society http://www.amsmeteors.org/radmet.html

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rev. 8/19/06