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On any given night, away from the bright city lights, you have the chance to see a beautiful streak across the sky as a meteorite flies. But on special dates scattered throughout the year, skywatchers can catch lots of flares in the dark as meteor showers erupt.

Meteor showers occur when our planet enters a field of debris left behind by icy comets or rocky asteroids orbiting the sun. These tiny particles burn in the atmosphere, giving rise to blazing light paths. The regularity of orbital mechanics means that any meteor shower happens at roughly the same time each year, and the changing phases of the bright moon are the main variable affecting their visibility.

how to see shower

Best practice is to go to the countryside and stay as far away from artificial light sources as possible. People in the countryside may have the luxury of going out. But city dwellers also have options.

Many cities have an astronomical community that maintains a special area of ​​dark skies. “I suggest you contact them and find out where they are,” said Robert Lunsford, secretary general of the International Meteor Organization.

Meteor showers are usually best seen after midnight, when the sky is the darkest, but before sunrise. To see as many meteors as possible, wait 30 to 45 minutes after reaching your viewing location. This will allow your eyes to get used to the dark. Then sit back and see the vast expanse of the night sky. Clear nights, higher altitudes, and when the moon is weak or absent are best. Mr. Lunsford offered a good rule of thumb: “The more stars you can see, the more meteors you can see.”

Binoculars or telescopes are not necessary for meteor showers and will actually limit your view.

How meteor showers are formed

Each rain peaks on a specific date when it’s making its way through the densest part of Earth’s debris field, but in some cases many meteors are still visible before or after that particular night.

The rains are named for a constellation in the part of the sky where they appear as lines. But there is no need to be perfectly knowledgeable in every detail of the celestial sphere. During any shower, meteorites should appear all over the sky.

Next year will be pretty calm for meteor showers. The biggest events – the summer Perseids and the winter Geminids – both have the misfortune of occurring during bright moon phases that will leave many traces. But enthusiasts can treat it with a new shower called Tau Herculids, which is predicted to be potentially visible for the first time in 2022. Below is a calendar of the best options for catching a good show throughout the year.

Quadrantids

Active from December 26, 2021 to January 16, 2022. Busiest night: January 2-3

The year begins with the Quadrantid meteor shower, named after the Quadrans Muralis, an archaic constellation that modern astronomers associate with the constellation known as Boötes. It’s likely to be one of the strongest downpours of the year.

The maximum activity of the quadrantids occurs one day after the new moon, so the conditions should be optimal for viewing. While downpours can have up to 120 visible meteors per hour, it happens in January when the weather is more likely to be cloudy, meaning forecast rates are closer to 25 per hour in dark skies. The event is also active for a short period of time, up to six hours. It will be best viewed from East Asia in various time zones around 2 o’clock, as that is the part of the world that faces the debris field. But people in other parts of the Northern Hemisphere have a chance to see many fireballs.

Lyrids

Active from April 15-29. Busiest night: 21-22 April

The first spring rain will peak when two-thirds of the month is a full moon, which can limit visibility. It’s a morning shower best seen in the early pre-dawn hours in the Northern Hemisphere, but some activity can be seen in the Southern Hemisphere. The meteors come from a comet named C/1861 G1, also known as Thatcher, and are predicted to be much more powerful in 2023, when the moon will become a small crescent, allowing 18 meteors per hour to be visible.

Eta Aquariums

Active from April 15 to May 27. Busiest night: May 4-5

The Eta Aquariids are one of two rain showers originating from the debris field of Halley’s comet, along with the Orionids, in October. The debris will enter via Earth’s Equator, meaning it will be visible in both hemispheres around the world. During peak times, which should be between 3am and dusk on May 5th, moonlight will be minimal. But before and after this date the shower should be quite active for about a week. In the past years, Eta Aquariids has produced between 45 and 85 fireballs per hour in dark sky conditions.

Tau Hercules

Potentially active from late May to early June. Busy nights: Probably 29-31 May

In 1930, astronomers spotted comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 (to their friend SW3), and a possible meteor shower was predicted as it passed near the Earth debris field. Little activity has been detected since then. But in 1995, comet SW3 suffered a massive fracture, splitting into multiple fragments that scattered a lot of dust. Our planet has a good chance of reaching its own space this year, although some astronomers’ calculations suggest that might not be the case. The moon will be new on the night of May 30, so conditions should be great for meteor viewing. The event will be seen in parts of North and Central America, with prime locations Southern California and Mexico to Texas.

Southern Delta Aquariums

Active from 18 July to 21 August. Busiest night: 29 – 30 July

This rain is one of the best for viewers in the southern tropics, but it can also be seen low in the sky for those in the Northern Hemisphere. The moon will be a skinny crescent after just past the new at zenith. The streaks from the shower should be observable a week before or after the heaviest evening. The Southern Delta Aquariids are predicted to produce between 15 and 20 meteors per hour under dark skies and are best seen around 3 a.m.

Perseids

It is active from 14 July to 1 September. Peak night: from 11 to 12 August

Warm summer nights and high fireballs make Perseids one of the most popular rains of the year. Originating from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which often returns through the inner solar system, Perseids often put on a great show. This year, however, the full moon will rise on the rainiest night and nearly all night, greatly reducing visibility. Going out into the dark skies and waiting until the early hours of the morning can still allow you to see between 15 and 20 meteors an hour.

orionids

Active from September 26 to November 22. Busiest night: 20 – 21 October

After hitting the trailing trail of Halley’s comet in May, Earth encounters the debris left by the comet as it heads toward the sun each October, forming the Orionid meteor shower. It is usually a medium strength shower that produces 10 to 20 lines per hour, although in exceptional years it can go up to 75 lines per hour. The moon will be 20 percent full this year, so visibility should be good. It will be watched worldwide from midnight to 04:00 local time.

Leonids

It is active from 3 November to 2 December. Busiest night: 17-18 November

The Leonids are notorious for producing occasional meteor storms. In 1966, 1999 and 2001, their rates exceeded 1,000 fireballs per hour. This year’s show should be calmer by 15 meteors per hour, as our planet isn’t expected to encounter any dense debris fields from the rain’s main comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle until 2099. The moon will be about a third full moon. night of intense activity. Rain is best seen after midnight in the Northern Hemisphere and later at night in the Southern Hemisphere.

Twins

Active between 4-17 December. Busiest night: 13-14 December

Often one of the best and most reliable downpours of the year, Geminids will occur six days after the moon’s full moon in 2022 and will greatly interfere with their light. Viewers at northern latitudes should have about three hours to see them, when they can expect perhaps five to 10 meteors per hour after the sun goes down but before the moon rises. Even when the moon rises, its location in the sky will not be close to Gemini, the constellation from which this rain radiates, so observers may try to get the moon behind a wall or other obstacle to increase visibility.

ursids

Active between 17-26 December. Busiest night: 22-23 December

While Geminids are in a poor position for the phases of the moon, a little rain gushing from the Ursa Minor (part of the Usa Ursa Major) should be a safer bet for observers. The Ursid meteor shower will peak near the new moon, meaning the interference will be significantly less than it was during the Geminids. Viewers can expect to see between seven and 10 meteors per hour, although it’s definitely a Northern Hemisphere affair.