Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a casual observer, a good meteor shower is always a treat to watch. They occur at the same time every year, and you don't need any expensive equipment to get the most from it. In fact, you're better off without a telescope; by using just your eyes you can take in a wider field of vision and see more meteors.
Why do meteor showers always happen on fixed dates? Year-on-year, as Earth orbits the Sun, we pass through the same stream of debris left behind by comets and occasionally, asteroids. For periodic comets, like the large Comet 109P/Swift Tuttle which is the parent body of the summer Perseids, that stream is replenished with every passage.
In this article, we’ve collated every meteor shower in 2024, when the peaks are, and how many meteors you can expect to see.
While you’re waiting for those all-important peak nights, why not brush up on your constellations with our handy astronomers for beginners guide? Having a broad understanding of the constellations will help you identify the radiant of each meteor shower, and get the most from your viewing experience.
If the Moon is more your thing, take a look at our full Moon calendar – we’ve got all the dates, names and times rounded up in one comprehensive list – as well as a few bits of Moon trivia thrown in for good measure.
What is a meteor shower?
A meteor shower is when a cascade of meteors, aka shooting stars, streak across the sky, emitting flashes of light and often leaving luminous trails in their wake. They occur on specific dates each year, and if conditions are good, can be a spectacular sight to see.
Meteor showers can vary in intensity, ranging from subtle displays with a few meteors to impressive, multicoloured celestial spectacles with bright shooting stars and even fireballs.
They occur when Earth passes through the debris left behind by a comet or asteroid as it orbits the Sun. Particles from the parent body burn up upon entering the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in streaks of light in the sky. Most meteors are caused by fragments smaller than a grain of sand, but larger fragments result in a brilliant, fiery display known as ‘fireballs’.
These meteors appear to originate from one point in the sky, called the ‘radiant’. The shower is typically named after the constellation (or region) from which it seems to originate. For example, the Perseids appear to radiate from Perseus, the Orionids from Orion, the Leonids from Leo, and the Geminids from Gemini.
When is the next meteor shower?
After the Quadrantids in January, the next major meteor shower for the UK will be the Lyrids, followed swiftly by the Eta Aquariids in April. Mark your calendars, because these showers are expected to peak on 22-23 April and 6 May respectively.
Here are all the dates for all the meteor showers in 2024, including when they peak and how many meteors we can expect to see per hour.
Quadrantids
Active: 28 December 2023 – 12 January 2024
Peak: 3–4 January 2024
Rate/hour: 110
Radiant: Boötes
Parent body: Likely to be 2003 EH1, but not yet definitive
Moon illumination at peak: 59-49 per cent
Alpha Centaurids
Active: 31 January 2024 – 20 February 2024
Peak: 8 February 2024
Rate/hour: 6
Radiant: Centaurus
Parent body: Unknown
Moon illumination at peak: 3.5 per cent (day before new Moon)
Note: Best seen from the southern hemisphere
Gamma Normids (γ-Normid)
Active: 25 February – 28 March 2024
Peak: 14–15 March
Rate/hour: 6
Radiant: Norma
Parent body: Unknown
Moon illumination at peak: 20-30 per cent (as seen from Sydney, Australia)
Note: Only visible from the southern hemisphere
Lyrids
Active: 14–30 April
Peak: 22-23 April
Rate/hour: 18
Radiant: Near Lyra
Parent body: C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)
Moon illumination at peak: 98-99 per cent
Pi Puppids (π Puppids)
Active: 15-28 April
Peak: 23-24 April
Rate/hour: Variable
Radiant: Puppis
Parent body: Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup
Moon illumination at peak: 99-100 per cent (full Moon on 24 April)
Note: Only visible in the southern hemisphere
Eta Aquariids
Active: 19 April – 28 May
Peak: 6 May
Rate/hour: 50
Radiant: Aquarius
Parent body: Halley’s Comet
Moon illumination at peak: 4 per cent (two days before new Moon)
Alpha Capricornids
Active: 3 July – 15 August
Peak: 30 July
Rate/hour: 5
Radiant: Capricornus
Parent body: Comet 169P/NEAT
Moon illumination at peak: 27 per cent
Southern Delta Aquariids
Active: 12 July – 23 August
Peak: 30 July
Rate/hour: 25
Radiant: Aquarius
Parent body: Likely to be Comet 96P Machholz, but not yet definitive
Moon illumination at peak: 31 per cent (as seen from Sydney, Australia)
Note: Best seen from the southern hemisphere and southern latitudes of the northern hemisphere
Pisces Austrinids
Active: 15 July – 10 August
Peak: 28 July
Rate/hour: 10
Radiant: Piscis Austrinus
Parent body: Unknown (some speculate it may have disintegrated)
Moon illumination at peak: 54 per cent (as seen from Sydney, Australia)
Note: Mostly visible from the southern hemisphere
Perseids
Active: 17 July – 24 August
Peak: 12–13 August
Rate/hour: 100
Radiant: Perseus
Parent body: Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle
Moon illumination at peak: 51 to 61 per cent
Alpha Aurigids
Active: 28 August – 5 September
Peak: 1 September
Rate/hour: 6
Radiant: Auriga
Parent body: Comet Kiess (C/1911 N1)
Moon illumination at peak: 3 per cent (two days before full Moon)
Southern Taurids
Active: 10 September – 20 November
Peak: 10-11 October
Rate/hour: 5
Radiant: Taurus
Parent body: Encke's Comet
Moon illumination at peak: 50-61 per cent
Orionids
Active: 2 October – 7 November
Peak: 21-22 October
Rate/hour: 25
Radiant: Orion
Parent body: Halley’s comet
Moon illumination at peak: 82-72 per cent
Draconids
Active: 6-10 October
Peak: 8-9 October
Rate/hour: 10
Radiant: Draco
Parent body: 21P/Giacobini-Zinner
Moon illumination at peak: 29-39 per cent
Northern Taurids
Active: 20 October – 10 December
Peak: 12-13 November
Rate/hour: 5
Radiant: Taurus
Parent body: 2P/Encke
Moon illumination at peak: 72-82 per cent
Leonids
Active: 6-30 November
Peak: 17-18 November
Rate/hour: 10
Radiant: Leo
Parent body: Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle
Moon illumination at peak: 100-99 per cent (full Moon on 17 November)
Phoenicids
Active: 28 November – 9 December
Peak: 2 December
Rate/hour: Variable
Radiant: Phoenix
Parent body: 289P/Blanpain(D/1819 W1), currently disintegrating
Moon illumination at peak: 72 per cent (as seen from Sydney, Australia)
Note: Best seen from the southern hemisphere
Puppid Velids
Active: 1-15 December
Peak: 7 December
Rate/hour: 10
Radiant: Puppis
Parent body: Unknown
Moon illumination at peak: 35 per cent (as seen from Sydney, Australia)
Note: Best seen from the southern hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere, they will either be below the horizon or very low, making it a non-event for the UK.
Andromedids/ December phi Cassiopeiids
Active: 1-8 December
Peak: 5 December (speculated)
Rate/hour: Unknown
Radiant: Pegasus/Andromeda
Parent body: Disintegrated Comet 3D/Biela, aka Biela’s Comet
Moon illumination at peak:
Note: This is a ‘lost’ shower and very little is known about it.
Geminids
Active: 4-20 December
Peak: 14-15 December
Rate/hour: 150
Radiant: Gemini
Parent body: 3200 Phaethon
Moon illumination at peak: 99-100 per cent (full Moon on 15 December)
Ursids
Active: 17-26 December
Peak: 22-23 December
Rate/hour: 10
Radiant: Ursa Minor
Parent body: Comet 8P/Tuttle
Moon illumination at peak: 61-51 per cent
Read more:
- Meteor, asteroid and comet: What’s the difference?
- What does a comet smell like?
- Interstellar Eye of Sauron: 10 of the best JWST pictures
