Events
Meteor showers
Several times a year Earth passes through dust left by comets and asteroids. Here are the major showers in the order they peak next, with rates for ideal dark skies.
- DraconidsComet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner · up to ~3/hour · active 5–10 OctActive now · peak ~8 Oct 2026
- OrionidsHalley's Comet (1P/Halley) · up to ~30/hour · active 11 Oct – 7 Novpeak ~22 Oct 2026
- Southern TauridsComet 2P/Encke · up to ~5/hour · active 3 Oct – 12 NovActive now · peak ~29 Oct 2026
- Northern TauridsComet 2P/Encke · up to ~5/hour · active 30 Oct – 23 Novpeak ~6 Nov 2026
- LeonidsComet 55P/Tempel–Tuttle · rates vary · active 6–27 Novpeak ~17 Nov 2026
- Geminidsasteroid 3200 Phaethon · up to ~115/hour · active 7–18 Decpeak ~14 Dec 2026
- UrsidsComet 8P/Tuttle · up to ~8/hour · active 20–23 Decpeak ~22 Dec 2026
- Quadrantidsasteroid 2003 EH1 · up to ~72/hour · active 1–5 Janpeak ~3 Jan 2027
- LyridsComet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher) · rates vary · active 20–24 Aprpeak ~22 Apr 2027
- Eta AquariidsHalley's Comet (1P/Halley) · up to ~118/hour · active 20 Apr – 27 Maypeak ~6 May 2027
- Southern Delta AquariidsComet 96P/Machholz · up to ~25/hour · active 17 Jul – 17 Augpeak ~28 Jul 2027
- Alpha CapricornidsComet 169P/NEAT · up to ~3/hour · active 13 Jul – 7 Augpeak ~30 Jul 2027
- PerseidsComet 109P/Swift–Tuttle · up to ~86/hour · active 26 Jul – 20 Augpeak ~13 Aug 2027
Peak dates are approximate (±1 day), in UTC. Year pages cover 2026 and 2027.
Sources: Global Meteor Network (CC BY 4.0); Moorhead, Clements & Vida 2022 (CC BY 4.0); NASA Meteoroid Environment Office. Data & Licences