EarthSky's meteor guide for 2008
Credit: NASA MSFC
Here’s the first thing – the main thing – you need to know to become as proficient as the experts at watching meteors. That is, to watch meteors, you need a dark sky.
You also need to be looking at the right time. Meteor showers occur over a range of dates, as Earth moves through space, crossing “meteor streams.” These streams of icy particles in space come from comets moving in orbit around the sun. Comets are fragile icy bodies that litter their orbits with debris. When this cometary debris enters our atmosphere, it vaporizes due to friction with the air. If moonlight or city lights don’t obscure the view, we on Earth see the falling, vaporizing particles as meteors.
Although astronomers have tried to publish exact predictions in recent years, meteor showers remain notoriously unpredictable. Your best bet is to go outside at the times we suggest, and plan to spend at least an hour reclining comfortably while looking up at the sky.
In 2008, the moon gets in the way of quite a few of the year’s best showers. The most moon-free shower of the year will probably be the Perseids of August, and, even for the Perseids, you’ll have a narrow window for meteor-watching in the hours between moonset and dawn. This custom sunrise sunset calendar also includes moon phases and moon rise and set times.
Here’s more help for getting outside (in a dark place, don’t forget) at the right time to see a meteor shower.
January 3, 2008 Quadrantids
Actually, the peak of this shower is on January 4 at 7 Universal Time – 1 a.m. Central Standard Time – during the night of January 3 for U.S. observers. In 2008, the moon is out of the way for this shower, which is known for being fast and furious. The shower has a sharp peak, and typically all worthwhile observing must be done no more than an hour or two either side of the peak. Face the general direction of northwest, beginning at about 11 p.m. Central Time on January 3. Remember that the meteors can be seen across a wide swath of sky.
April 21, 2008 Lyrids
The Lyrids are a moderate shower at best, but the meteors tend to be bright and often leave trails. About 10-20 meteors per hour at peak can be expected, under optimum conditions. Uncommon surges can sometimes bring the rate to 100 per hour. The radiant is in the constellation Lyra, which rises in the northeast at about 10 p.m. Unfortunately the moon – only one night past full – will be up all night during this year’s Lyrid shower. Only the most intrepid and stalwart of meteor-watchers will be out there in bright moonlight for the peak of this year’s Lyrid shower.
May 4, 5 and 6, 2008 Eta Aquarids
The shower has a relatively broad maximum but is expected to peak shortly before dawn on May 5, which is also the date of the new moon. That means the moon is absent from the night sky during this shower’s peak, and that makes 2008 a good year for the Eta Aquarids! The radiant for this shower is in the east-southeast at about 4 a.m. Before dawn is the preferred viewing time. For the mid-northern latitudes, the rates for this shower are only about 10 to 15 per hour at maximum. Farther south, the number of meteors increases dramatically. The broad peak to this shower means that some meteors may be seen on the day before and after. The best time to watch is May 5 before dawn. But you’ll see some meteors before dawn on May 4 and May 6 as well.
July 28, 2008 South Delta Aquarids
Like most meteor showers, the best observing for this shower is before dawn. Unlike most meteor showers, this one doesn’t have a very definite peak, despite the date given above. Instead, it rambles along steadily in late July and early August. The July full moon comes on the night of July 17/18. So by late July, the moon will be waning, leaving the night sky dark for summer meteor-watchers. That’s good news for the Delta Aquarids, and even the August Perseids escape the full force of bright moonlight this year, assuming you watch in the hours before dawn. Watch for the Delta Aquarids before dawn in late July and early August. The meteors will appear to radiate from the southern part of the sky.
August 12, 2008 Perseids
And when we say August 12, we mean that morning … not that night. These typically fast and bright meteors radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus, and, like all meteors in annual showers, they cover a large part of the sky. The Perseids are considered by many people to be the year’s best shower when the moon is out of the way during the shower’s peak. This year’s moon is not quite out of the way during the Perseids, but there is a window for meteor-watching in the hours before dawn. The first quarter moon comes on August 8, but full moon is not until August 16. On the morning of the Perseids’ peak, the moon sets around 3 a.m. (look here for a custom calendar that can give you moonset in your location) After moonset on the morning of August 12, be sure you’re already in a dark sky location. Lie back and watch meteors until dawn’s light washes the stars, and the meteors, from view.
October 7 or 8, 2008 Draconids
The radiant point of the Draconid meteor shower almost coincides with the head of the constellation Draco the Dragon, in the northern sky. That’s why it is best viewed from the northern hemisphere. This shower is a real oddity, in the respect that its radiant point is highest in the sky as darkness falls. The shower is definitely a sleeper, producing only a handful of languid meteors per hour in most years. But watch out if the dragon awakes! On occasion, fiery Draco has been known to spew forth hundreds – if not thousands – of meteors in a single hour. Since the moon is at first quarter this year during the shower’s peak, this hard-to-predict shower is worth checking out. Unlike most meteor showers, more meteors are likely to fly in the evening than the morning hours after midnight. Look northward for Draconid meteors on the evenings of October 7 or 8.
October 20 or 21, 2008 Orionids
These meteors tend to be fast, occasionally leaving persistent trains and producing bright fireballs. They exhibit a maximum of about 15 meteors per hour. If you trace these meteors backwards, they seem to originate from the north of Orion’s bright ruddy star Betelgeuse. The Orionids have a broad and irregular peak that is difficult to predict. Unfortunately, this year, a last quarter moon will disrupt the show after midnight, which is when the Orionids are typically at their best, regardless of the exact peak night. The Orionids are probably a wash-out this year.
November 4 or 5, 2008 South Taurids
The South (and North) Taurids are perhaps best suited to diehard meteor enthusiasts. The meteoroid stream that feeds the Taurids is very spread out and dissipated. That means the South Taurids are extremely long lasting (September 17 – November 27), but usually don’t offer a whole lot more than a sprinkling of meteors. At nightfall in the first week of November, look eastward for some meteors. If you catch some, that’s a good sign. Expect the greatest number of meteors to fall around one or two in the morning, when the radiant point of the shower is high overhead. The forecast is for about 7 meteors per hour.
November 11 or 12, 2008 North Taurids
Like the South Taurids, this shower is long lasting (October 12 – December 2) but modest, and the peak number is forecast at 7 as well. Because the South and North Taurids overlap, there’s some chance of catching a few extra meteors per hour. In most years, you would see the maximum numbers at around 1 a.m., when Taurus the Bull rides high in the sky. Unfortunately, in 2008, the nearly full moon will wash most of these meteors from view.
November 17, 2008 Leonids
Historically, the Leonids have produced some of the greatest meteor storms in history, with rates as high as many thousands of meteors per hour. These storms often recur in cycles of 33 years. In 2008, we anticipate more of a whimper than a growl from Leo the Lion, with a maximum of perhaps 10-15 meteors per hour. Like the October Orionids, the Leonids produce swift-moving meteors, and tend to put out the greatest numbers just before dawn. The peak, however, on November 17, also features a large bright waning gibbous moon in the sky after midnight. Forget the Leonids this year, unless you are a serious meteor observer – or unless you happen to spot a few whizzing past in bright moonlight!
December 13, 2008 Geminids
The Geminids are often the year’s grand finale for meteor-watchers. As a general rule, it’s either the Geminids or the August Perseids that give us the most prolific meteor display of the year. The Geminids tend to intensify and climax at about 2 in the morning. With maximums commonly reaching 50 meteors per hour, this is a glorious time of year to sprawl out on your reclining lawn chair and to take in the show. Just be sure to bring along warm clothing, blankets or sleeping bags, and a thermos with a warm beverage. Unfortunately, there is a bright moon – only one day past full – for the 2008 Geminid shower. As a result, you probably won’t see very many Geminid meteors this year.
Peak times are derived from data published in the Observer’s Handbook 2007 by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
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I love meteor shower, it’s very amazing… the first time i saw a shooting star was this early in the morning, dec.13,2007 for about 1:30 am.. but it was very few, yet it was sooo cool…. iwanna see more shooting star.. and a real meteor shower… lol… tnx
Watched this am 12/14, about 2am. Saw about 2 meteors per min., sky perfectly clear here in western NC. A bonus was hearing 2 great horned owls hooting back and forth the 1/2 hour we were out. Do they watch meteors too?
Thanks,
J&M
is it possible to see the quadrantids here in the Philippines and exactly what time is it best to watch?(don’t know how universal time works yet)...watched the geminids the night of 14 and last night too…it was Great! we were told peak time would be 11 (our time) and we quit watching at about quarter to 12,have we missed a lot?
Thanks!
Rai, the Quadrantids peak at about 3 p.m. on January 4, your time in the Philippines, so the timing is not perfect. Your best bet is to look before dawn on the 4th, when the radiant of the shower will be high to the northeast for you. You could also try on Saturday morning, but in either case it will be quite a few hours off the peak, so I wouldn’t count on too much this time.
Larry Sessions
Denver
Thank you for writing such a user friendly column. I never have any questions about what really is the correct time in my time zone or which direction to look. This is truly a miracle of nature to watch meteor showers and we are very lucky now to live in the mountain west where we have little light pollution (versus previously in Arlington, VA where we had to try really hard to see any stars, much less meteors!).
I live in central Colombia, South America. I like to be able to find information about viewing times for meteor showers in my area for 2008. Please advise. Thank you.
My husband and I just moved to New Mexico and we have the most awesome stary skies! We saw a shooting star a couple of months ago that had a huge red tail on it. WOW! That was amazing… Can’t wait until tonight!!
Thanks,
D
I drive truck through the nights in lonely area’s of minnesota so i’m very fortunate to get to see some of the best viewings one could ask for, but this morning while watching the Quadtrinids I actually got to witness what appeared to be a falling star that exploded and and turned into many more falling stars. The light it gave off was just astounding, but I was wondering what could’ve caused the explosion if thats what it was. It was very bright and seemed extremely close.
heyy about the quadrantids.. i went out yesterday around the peak 1:40 EST but it was soo cloudy. Its lookin clear today so im probably gonna go out. Do u have an estimate for when is the best time and how many i might see per hour?
Thanks.
The quadrantids were a total disappointment in 2008, despite there being perfect conditions, with totally clear skies
I live on Long Island in New York. I was on the ocean side of Fire Island from 9:20 p.m. on Thursday January 3rd until 3:50 a.m. on Friday, January 4th. I saw only 1 possible meteorite during this time period. There was so much hype about this being potentially the best meteor shower of the year. All the experts were saying that the peak viewing time on the Northeast coast saying that the peak viewing time would be around 1:40 a.m. There never was a peak of any kind, It was a total bust from my viewpoint.
Do you know if anyone else on Long Island or in New York had the same or different experience than me?
Best regards,
Ken Biegen
Dix Hills, New York
I haven’t seen any meteor showers, and if I would be seeing it for the first time I want it to be at its most fascinating scene :D so.. which of these events would you suggest me to watch? And, I also live in the Philippines, so time and directions are things I also need to know. Hope you can help me!! Thanks.. :D
Lowell,
Adjust any times given to your time zone. Typically there are very specific times of the predicted peak of a meteor shower, and that time needs to be converted to your time zone. However, if it just says something like, “look late at night,” just do that. Otherwise, the instructions are about the same as given. Just understand that they are intended primarily for the more populated areas of the Northern hemisphere, so from lower latitudes the positions in the sky will be slightly different.
Zachary,
You saw a bolide or fireball. Pretty cool, huh?
Ken,
Forecasting meteor showers is always difficult. It’ snot so hard to get the time right (usually), but the number of meteors and how it all looks is really impossible to predict accurately. As Forrest Gump said, it’s like a box of chocolates — you never know what you are going to get.
Candy,
As I told Ken, we cannot predict with high accuracy how a meteor shower will appear. At best we give educated guesses. Keep in mind that you always need a very dark location away from all lights, and you need to give your eyes about 15 minutes to adapt to the darkness. And on any given moonless night after midnight, a single observed normally can see 5-6 meteors every hour whether there is a meteor shower or not. As for specific showers this year, my best guess is that the best shower will be the perennial favorite, the Perseids. The predicted peak this year is 11 hours Universal Time (consider it to be Greenwich Mean Time) on August 12. The Philippines are 8 hours ahead, so that would be 1900 or 7 p.m. — adjust if you are on Daylight or Summer time. Unfortunately, the radiant of the shower will not be above your horizon until several hours later, but if other conditions are favorable, you might still see a few of the meteors. It should get better as the night goes on. Look to the northeast. That’s about all I can tell you, and please remember that I cannot promise how good the shower will be, just the approximate time to look.
LS
We are thinking of having a meteor-watching party for families with kids sometime this year(2008). What is the best shower for amateurs? We would like to do it in April, but the Lyrids seem to be unimpressive according to articles I’ve read.
Thanks.
DG, the best time for families with kids would normally be December, because the December Geminid meteor shower is one of the few that is as rich in meteors in the evening as in the hours before dawn (unless your kids – unlike mine – can be easily roused for stargazing in the hours before dawn). But the 2008 Geminid shower will be drowned in bright moonlight.
In fact, the moon is not cooperative in 2008 when it comes to meteor showers. The August Perseid shower is probably the best bet … but ONLY in the hours before dawn, after the moon – which will be waxing toward full – has set.
Not the greatest year for a family meteor party! Meteors can be seen this year, as every year, but you’ll have to avoid the moon.
How about making the moon the focal point? Maybe a total lunar eclipse party on the night of February 20?
Deborah
Nice site. We love meteor showers. I take my kids out to see them as often as we can. Perseids are probably our family favorite. It’s nice to recline down by the lake on a warm summer night!! My personal favorite has to be the Leonids of 2001. All kinds of fireballs, colors and vapor trails. Totally awesome!!
Happy viewing!! Ryan Neb Ellensburg, Wa.
I will be in Hawaii on a cruise during the Eta Aquarids. What would be the best day/time HST to view?
Thanks!
Becky
Becky,
Watch for the Eta Aquarids during the early morning hours before dawn on May 4, 5 and 6. The new moon on May 5 makes 2008 a perfect year for watching the Eta Aquarid meteors!
Bruce