Last Christmas post: FRIDAY 20th DECEMBER
We include when to look out for meteor showers (shooting stars) in our Diaries and Calendars – mainly because its something we personally love to look out for!
What are Meteor Showers?
A comet is a body of icy materials with rocky matter embedded. As a comet travels close to the Sun, it heats up and part of the comet vaporizes. After a comet has orbited the Sun many times, lots of small pieces of the comet are left along the comet’s path. A meteor shower happens when the Earth passes through the path of a comet. In the case of the Perseids, we pass through the path of Comet Swift-Tuttle.
At the peak of the meteor shower, we reach the densest part of the comet’s path. This is when the bits of comet debris, most no larger than a grain of sand, create streaks of light in the night sky as they burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. Bits of debris which enter Earth’s atmosphere are called meteors. On any night, there are several small meteors which shoot across the sky and when we pass through a comet’s path we have a meteor shower. During a meteor shower, tens to hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour. Many meteor showers can be predicted and occur at the same time each year.
Here are the best meteor showers to look out for in 2023
This is not a definitive list of meteor showers for the year as we’ve not included the less spectacular ones. All these meteor showers and lots of information about what to look out for in the night sky can be found in our Moon Diary and Moon Calendars
3-4th January
Moonlight will glare out a lot of meteors but because it is an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak its still worth looking. Look out a few days and after the peak too.
22-23rd April
Although some meteors can be visible from April 16th – 25th.
The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. This year we may
be a little glared out by moonlight but they are still worth looking out for.
They often produce luminous trains of dust that can be observed for several seconds.
Look for meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight.
7-8th May
The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10 meteors per hour at their peak.
however viewing should be good on any morning from May 4th – 7th.
The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.
In 2023 unfortunately the Moon will glare out a lot of meteors – but its always worth looking!
12-13th August
The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, usually producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. Meteors can be seen any time from July 23rd – August 22nd.
Viewing The Perseids in 2023
This should be a spectacular show! A nearly new Moon gives lovely dark skies. The Perseids are so bright and numerous that it could still be an amazing show. The peak of the meteor shower is on the evening of both the 12th and 13th of August. Meteors will seem like they’re all over the sky but will look like they are radiating from the constellation Perseus which rises in the east at about 22:00.
21-22nd October
The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. This shower usually peaks on the 21st, but it is highly irregular. A good show could be experienced on any morning from October 20th – 24th, and some meteors may be seen any time from October 17th – 25th.
Best viewing will be to the east in the pre-dawn hours although meteors will be seen anytime once Orion has risen – its best to look about 30 degrees away from the radiant point. They are known to be fast and faint meteors but there may be a few fireballs too. This shower produces a peak rate of 20 yellow and green meteors per hour, which are especially fast moving.
The Orionids in 2023
The Moonlight should not give us too much glare as it sets at about 22:15.
September – December
The Taurids go on for a while – they are a drawn out but weak shower. However, they are famous for giving spectacular slow moving fireballs in the sky!
There are two Taurids, the north and south.
The south Taurids peak at the beginning of November and the north Taurids in the middle of November. Together the two showers combine to give us fireballs anytime from the end of September to the end of December!
You might have to be patient but it’s worth it! Or you may catch one of these fireballs by accident so keep on looking up – about 30˚ away from the radiant point of Taurus. Best time to view is between midnight and 3 in the morning – look east, south east. Enjoy!
The Taurids 2023
The Moon is dark for the peak on the 12/13th November and bright fireballs can be seen all month.
17-18th November
The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 40 meteors per hour at their peak.
The shower itself has a cyclic peak year every 33 years where hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour, the last of these occurred in 2001 and it is not predicted for this year.
You may see some meteors from November 13th – 20th.
Best viewing will be to the east in the pre-dawn hours although meteors will be seen anytime once Leo has risen. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Leo after midnight although it’s best to look about 30 degrees away from the radiant point.
The Leonids in 2023
Most visible after midnight, the Moon should not give too much glare.
13-14th December
Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, some meteors should be visible from 6th – 19th December. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini.
Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight. The Geminids are characterized by their multi-coloured display, 65% being white, 26% yellow and the remaining 9% blue, red and green and can give us as many as 120 meteors an hour. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Gemini after midnight although it’s best to look about 30 degrees away from the radiant point.
This shower is a result of the Earth passing through the path of asteroid 3200 Phaethon. This is a mysterious body that is sometimes referred to as a ‘rock comet’.
Geminids 2023
No Moon glare means dark skies so there should be a great show! The best time to look will be after midnight (but you might see some earlier) on the morning of the 14th – enjoy!
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