Visit the Meteor Shower Calendar 2023-2024
The 2023 Meteor Shower List is presented in four separate parts. The showers are broken down by intensity with major, minor, variable, and weak showers being separated into their own groups. The general public is encouraged to use the list of major showers as they are the most well known and provide the most activity on a year to year basis. The other showers rarely surpass ten meteors per hour at maximum and are difficult to observe by the general public.
2023 Major Meteor Showers (Class I)
Shower | Activity Period | Maximum | Radiant | Velocity | r | Max. | Time | Moon | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | S. L. | R.A. | Dec. | km/s | ZHR | |||||
Quadrantids (QUA) | Dec 26-Jan 16 | Jan 04 | 283.3° | 15:20 | +49.7° | 40.2 | 2.1 | 120 | 0500 | 13 |
Lyrids (LYR) | Apr 15-Apr 29 | Apr 23 | 032.4° | 18:10 | +33.3° | 46.8 | 2.1 | 18 | 0400 | 02 |
eta Aquarids (ETA) | Apr 15-May 27 | May 06 | 046.2° | 22:30 | -01.1° | 65.5 | 2.4 | 60 | 0400 | 15 |
Southern delta Aquarids (SDA) | Jul 18-Aug 21 | Jul 31 | 127.6° | 22:42 | -16.3° | 40.3 | 3.2 | 20 | 0300 | 13 |
Perseids (PER) | Jul 14-Sep 01 | Aug 13 | 140.0° | 03:13 | +58.0° | 58.8 | 2.6 | 100 | 0400 | 27 |
Orionids (ORI) | Sep 26-Nov 22 | Oct 21 | 207.5° | 06:21 | +15.6° | 66.1 | 2.5 | 23 | 0500 | 07 |
Leonids (LEO) | Nov 03-Dec 02 | Nov 18 | 236.0° | 10:17 | +21.6° | 70.0 | 2.5 | 15 | 0500 | 05 |
Geminids (GEM) | Nov 19-Dec 24 | Dec 14 | 262°0 | 07:34 | +32.3° | 33.8 | 2.6 | 120 | 0100 | 02 |
Ursids (URS) | Dec 13-Dec 24 | Dec 22 | 270°5 | 14:36 | +75.3° | 33.0 | 3.0 | 10 | 0500 | 10 |
Information and Table Template Courtesy the International Meteor Organization and Masahiro Koseki.
The meteor showers listed above are the easiest to observe and provide the most activity. Particular attention should be noted to the time and moonlight conditions. All these showers are best seen after midnight. Some are not even visible until after midnight. Showers that peak with the moon’s age between 10 and 20 days will be affected by moonlight and difficult to observe this year. While the time each shower is best seen remains much the same year after year, the moonlight conditions change considerably from one year to the next. We will post upcoming details of each major shower that is free from moonlight well in advance of their peak activity.
2023 Minor Meteor Showers (Class II)
Shower | Activity Period | Maximum | Radiant | Velocity | r | Max. | Time | Moon | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | S. L. | R.A. | Dec. | km/s | ZHR | |||||
Anthelion Source (ANT) | Dec 17-Sep 22 | – | – | – | – | 30.0 | 3.0 | 3 | 0100 | – |
alpha Centaurids (ACE) | Feb 03-Feb 20 | Feb 08 | 319°4 | 14:04 | -58.2° | 59.3 | 2.0 | 6 | 0500 | 19 |
eta Lyrids (ELY) | May 06-May 15 | May 10 | 049.6° | 19:22 | +43.5° | 43.9 | 3.0 | 3 | 0400 | 20 |
July Pegasids (JPE) | Jul 04-Aug 08 | Jul 11 | 108.4° | 23:11 | +10.8° | 64.1 | 3.0 | 5 | 0400 | 24 |
alpha Capricornids (CAP) | Jul 07-Aug 15 | Jul 31 | 128° | 20:26 | -09.1° | 22.0 | 2.5 | 4 | 0100 | 13 |
kappa Cygnids (KCG) | Aug 01-Aug 27 | Aug 14 | 141° | 19:05 | +50.2° | 22.2 | 3.0 | 3 | 2300 | 28 |
Aurigids (AUR) | Aug 26-Sep 04 | Sep 01 | 158°5 | 06:04 | +39.2° | 65.4 | 2.6 | 6 | 0400 | 16 |
September epsilon Perseids (SPE) | Sep 02-Sep 23 | Sep 10 | 167° | 03:10 | +39.5° | 64.2 | 2.9 | 5 | 0500 | 26 |
Southern Taurids (STA) | Sep 23-Nov 12 | Oct 19 | 205.5° | 02:36 | +10.5° | 28.2 | 2.3 | 5 | 0000 | 05 |
epsilon Geminids (EGE) | Sep 27-Nov 08 | Oct 19 | 205.5° | 06:45 | +28.2° | 68.5 | 3.0 | 2 | 0400 | 05 |
Leonis Minorids (LMI) | Oct 13-Nov 03 | Oct 21 | 208° | 10:35 | +37.2° | 61.4 | 2.7 | 2 | 0500 | 08 |
Southern Taurids (STA) | Oct 11-Dec 08 | Nov 06 | 223° | 03:35 | +14.4° | 27.7 | 2.3 | 5 | 0000 | 23 |
Northern Taurids (NTA) | Oct 13-Dec 02 | Nov 13 | 230° | 03:55 | +22.8° | 27.6 | 2.3 | 5 | 0000 | 00 |
November Orionids (NOO) | Nov 13-Dec 12 | Nov 30 | 248° | 06:06 | +15.4° | 42.3 | 2.3 | 3 | 0400 | 18 |
sigma Hydrids (HYD) | Nov 22-Jan 04 | Dec 07 | 255° | 08:17 | +02.9° | 58.8 | 2.3 | 3 | 0300 | 25 |
Puppid/Velids (PUP) | Dec 01-Dec 15 | Dec 07 | 255° | 08:12 | -45.0° | 40.0 | 2.7 | 10 | 0400 | 25 |
Monocerotids (MON) | Nov 23-Dec 24 | Dec 11 | 259° | 06:44 | +08.2° | 41.0 | 2.3 | 2 | 0100 | 29 |
Coma Berenicids (COM) | Dec 05-Feb 04 | Dec 16 | 264° | 10:32 | +30.0° | 64.0 | 3.0 | 5 | 0500 | 04 |
Information and Table Template Courtesy the International Meteor Organization and Masahiro Koseki.
The meteor showers listed above range from 2 to 10 shower members per hour at maximum activity. These meteors can be detected by experienced observers but novice observers and the general public will have difficultly distinguishing these meteors from the major showers or sporadic (random) meteors.
2023 Variable Meteor Showers (Class III)
Shower | Activity Period | Maximum | Radiant | Velocity | r | Max. | Time | Moon | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | S. L. | R.A. | Dec. | km/s | ZHR | |||||
pi Puppids (PPU) | Apr 16-Apr 30 | Apr 24 | 033°.6 | 07:22 | -45.1° | 15 | 2.0 | var | 1900 | 04 |
tau Herculids (TAH) | May 19- Jun 14 | Jun 03 | 072°.0 | 15:14 | +39.8° | 15 | 2.2 | var | 2200 | 15 |
June Bootids (JBO) | Jun 25- Jun 29 | Jun 27 | 096°.3 | 14:48 | +47.9° | 14.1 | 2.2 | var | 2100 | 08 |
beta Hydusids (BHY) | Aug 15-Aug 19 | Aug 17 | 143°.8 | 02:25 | -74.5° | 23 | 2.6 | var | 0500 | 01 |
Draconids (GIA) | Oct 08-Oct 09 | Oct 08 | 195°.0 | 17:32 | +55°.7 | 20.7 | 2.6 | var | 1800 | 24 |
alpha Monocerotids (AMO) | Nov 13-Nov 27 | Nov 22 | 239°9 | 07:50 | +00.7° | 61.6 | 2.4 | var | 0300 | 09 |
Dec Phoenicids (PHO) | Dec 04-Dec 06 | Dec 05 | 253°0 | 01:02 | -44.7° | 11.7 | 2.8 | var | 2000 | 23 |
Volantids (VOL) | Dec 27-Jan 04 | Dec 31 | 279°197 | 08:02 | -72° | 28.4 | 2.8 | var | 0100 | 20 |
Information and Table Template Courtesy the International Meteor Organization.
The meteor showers listed above produce strong activity on rare occasions. Most of the time only a few scattered remnants of these showers are observed with rates of one shower member per NIGHT. Note that most of these showers are best seen during the evening hours, a situation quite opposite most meteor showers.
2023 Weak Meteor Showers (Class IV)
Shower | Activity Period | Maximum | Radiant | Velocity | Max. | Time | Moon | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | S. L. | R.A. | Dec. | km/s | ZHR | ||||
January Leonids (JLE) | Dec 27-Jan 07 | Jan 02 | 282.2° | 09:50 | +23.9° | 52.0 | <2 | 0300 | 12 |
alpha Hydrids (AHY) | Dec 15-Jan 22 | Jan 05 | 285.0° | 08:32 | -08.4° | 43.3 | <2 | 0300 | 14 |
omicron Leonids (OLE) | Dec 20-Jan 22 | Jan 09 | 289.315° | 09:11 | +09.6° | 41.7 | <2 | 0500 | 19 |
xi Coronae Borealids (XCB) | Jan 09-Jan 20 | Jan 15 | 295.0° | 16:40 | +30.0° | 45.5 | <2 | 0500 | 23 |
gamma Ursae Minorids (GUM) | Jan 09-Jan 20 | Jan 18 | 298.0° | 15:13 | +69.2° | 28.8 | <2 | 0500 | 26 |
January xi Ursae Majorids (XUM) | Jan 14-Jan 21 | Jan 19 | 299.5° | 11:20 | +32.4° | 40.9 | <2 | 0300 | 27 |
eta Corvids (ECV) | Jan 07-Feb 05 | Jan 21 | 301.0° | 12:42 | -17.7° | 67.6 | <2 | 0500 | 00 |
Alpha Coronae Borealids (ACB) | Jan 26-Feb 05 | Jan 27 | 307.4° | 15:24 | +28.1° | 56.5 | <2 | 0500 | 06 |
alpha Antliids (AAN) | Jan 22-Feb 06 | Feb 02 | 313.1° | 10:33 | -09.9° | 44.3 | <2 | 0100 | 12 |
theta Centaurid Complex (TCE) | Feb 02-Feb 06 | Feb 04 | 314.0° | 13:16 | -42.0° | 60.2 | <2 | 0500 | 14 |
pi Hydrids (PIH) | Feb 03-Feb 09 | Feb 06 | 317.0° | 14:00 | -21.0° | 55.3 | <2 | 0400 | 16 |
gamma Crucids (GCR) | Feb 11-Feb 15 | Feb 14 | 325.0° | 12:48 | -56.0° | 55.8 | <2 | 0400 | 23 |
xi Herculids (XHE) | Mar 06-Mar 20 | Mar 12 | 351.3° | 16:58 | +48.6° | 35.4 | <2 | 0400 | 20 |
delta Mensids (DME) | Mar 02-Mar 26 | Mar 12 | 352.0° | 04:09 | -74.4° | 30.9 | <2 | 0500 | 21 |
beta Tucanids (BTU) | Mar 02-Mar 26 | Mar 13 | 352.33° | 04:07 | -77.0° | 31.0 | <2 | 0500 | 21 |
delta Pavonids (DPA) | Mar 11-Apr 16 | Mar 31 | 010.0° | 20:32 | -63.0° | 58.0 | <2 | 0500 | 10 |
April epsilon Delphinids (AED) | Mar 31-Apr 20 | Apr 09 | 019.5° | 20:30 | +11.5° | 60.5 | <2 | 0400 | 19 |
kappa Serpentids (KSE) | Apr 11-Apr 22 | Apr 16 | 026.0° | 16:30 | +17.9° | 45.6 | <2 | 0400 | 25 |
alpha Virginids (AVB) | Apr 06-May 01 | Apr 18 | 028.0° | 13:26 | +03.9° | 19.3 | <2 | 0100 | 27 |
h-Virginids (HVI) | Apr 24-May 04 | May 01 | 041.0° | 13:35 | -11.4° | 17.6 | <2 | 0400 | 11 |
Daytime Arietids (ARI) | May 29-Jun 17 | Jun 04 | 073.8° | 02:46 | +23.7° | 40.5 | <2 | 0400 | 17 |
June Iota Pegasids (JIP) | Jun 25-Jun 27 | Jun 25 | 093.8° | 22:06 | +29.3° | 58.6 | <2 | 0400 | 06 |
phi Piscids (PPS) | Jun 13-Jul 05 | Jun 25 | 094.0° | 00:40 | +21.4° | 66.5 | <2 | 0400 | 06 |
Microscopiids (MIC) | Jun 25-Jul 16 | Jul 06 | 104.0° | 21:13 | -27.0° | 39.7 | <2 | 0400 | 18 |
July chi Arietids (JXA) | Jun 26-Jul 22 | Jul 07 | 105.5° | 02:11 | +07.8° | 68.4 | <2 | 0400 | 19 |
phi Piscids (PPS) | Jul 02-Jul 22 | Jul 10 | 108.0° | 01:23 | +27.9° | 66.5 | <2 | 0400 | 23 |
c-Andromedids (CAN) | Jun 21-Jul 28 | Jul 12 | 110.0° | 02:10 | +48.3° | 56.9 | <2 | 0400 | 25 |
Northern June Aquilids (NZC) | Jun 26-Jul 22 | Jul 15 | 113.0° | 21:18 | -02.4° | 37.7 | <2 | 0200 | 28 |
zeta Cassiopeiids (ZCS) | Jul 07-Jul 22 | Jul 16 | 113.5° | 00:30 | +50.9° | 57.2 | <2 | 0400 | 29 |
July gamma Draconids (GDR) | Jul 23-Aug 03 | Jul 28 | 125.3° | 18:42 | +50.6° | 27.3 | <2 | 2200 | 10 |
Eta Eridanids (ERI) | Jul 10-Sep 10 | Aug 06 | 134.0° | 02:44 | -13.0° | 63.9 | <2 | 0400 | 21 |
Piscis Austrinids (PAU) | Aug 01-Aug 10 | Aug 07 | 135.0° | 23:53 | -20.2° | 43.0 | <2 | 0300 | 22 |
Northern delta Aquariids (NDA) | Aug 02-Aug 17 | Aug 12 | 139.5° | 23:02 | +00.9 | 39.1 | <2 | 0300 | 26 |
August xi Draconids (AXD) | Aug 04-Aug 28 | Aug 15 | 142.0° | 18:26 | +53.6° | 20.3 | <2 | 2100 | 29 |
beta Hydusids (BHY) | Aug 15-Aug 19 | Aug 17 | 143.8° | 02:25 | -74.5° | 22.8 | <2 | 2100 | 01 |
August beta Piscids (BPI) | Aug 17-Sep 08 | Aug 21 | 148.0° | 23:30 | +04.4° | 38.2 | <2 | 2100 | 05 |
zeta Draconids (AUD) | Aug 12-Sep 05 | Aug 26 | 153.0° | 17:16 | +62.8° | 21.3 | <2 | 2100 | 10 |
August Gamma Cepheids (AGC) | Aug 17-Sep 06 | Aug 29 | 155.6° | 23:57 | +76.9° | 43.8 | <2 | 0200 | 14 |
Nu Eridanids (NUE) | Aug 31-Sep 21 | Sep 11 | 168.0° | 04:33 | +00.7° | 65.7 | <2 | 0500 | 27 |
September Lyncids (SLY) | Aug 30-Sep 20 | Sep 11 | 168.0° | 07:15 | +55.8° | 59.3 | <2 | 0500 | 27 |
chi Cygnids (CCY) | Sep 08-Sep 17 | Sep 13 | 170.8° | 20:00 | +31.0° | 19.0 | <2 | 2100 | 29 |
Daytime Sextantids (DSX) | Sep 22-Oct 13 | Oct 03 | 190.0° | 10:27 | -03.3° | 32.1 | <2 | 0500 | 19 |
October Camelopardalids (OCT) | Oct 05-Oct 07 | Oct 06 | 192.7° | 11:09 | +78.6° | 45.4 | <2 | 0500 | 22 |
A Carinids (CRN) | Oct 13-Oct 14 | Oct 14 | 200.883° | 06:27 | -54.3° | 32.4 | <2 | 0500 | 00 |
October Ursae Majorids (OCU) | Oct 10-Oct 20 | Oct 16 | 202.5° | 09:41 | +64.2° | 55.3 | <2 | 0500 | 02 |
tau Cancrids (TCA) | Sep 23-Nov 12 | Oct 21 | 208.0° | 09:13 | +29.6° | 67.1 | <2 | 0500 | 07 |
October zeta Perseids (OZP) | Oct 25-Oct 25 | Oct 25 | 211.36° | 03:53 | +33.7° | 48.1 | <2 | 0500 | 11 |
lambda Ursae Majorids (LUM) | Oct 18-Nov 07 | Oct 28 | 214.8° | 10:32 | +49.4° | 60.8 | <2 | 0500 | 14 |
Southern lambda Draconids (SLD) | Oct 29-Nov 08 | Nov 04 | 221.5° | 10:46 | +68.2° | 48.5 | <2 | 1900 | 21 |
chi Taurids (CTA) | Oct 24-Nov 13 | Nov 04 | 222.0° | 04:16 | +27.2° | 40.1 | <2 | 0300 | 21 |
kappa Ursae Majorids (KUM) | Oct 28-Nov 17 | Nov 05 | 223.0° | 09:37 | +45.6° | 64.7 | <2 | 0500 | 22 |
Andromedids (AND) | Oct 24-Dec 02 | Nov 06 | 224.0° | 01:23 | +28.0° | 18.1 | <2 | 2200 | 23 |
Omicron Eridanids (OER) | Oct 23-Dec 02 | Nov 13 | 231.0° | 03:54 | -01.0° | 27.7 | <2 | 0100 | 01 |
Nov. sigma Ursae Majorids (NSU) | Nov 17-Dec 02 | Nov 24 | 242.0° | 09:56 | +59.0° | 54.5 | <2 | 2000 | 11 |
theta Pyxidids (TPY) | Nov 28-Dec 06 | Dec 01 | 249.4° | 09:15 | -25.6° | 59.7 | <2 | 2000 | 19 |
Southern chi Orionids (ORS) | Nov 14-Dec 16 | Dec 02 | 250.0° | 05:20 | +18.1° | 26.5 | <2 | 2000 | 20 |
December Kappa Draconids (DKD) | Nov 29-Dec 13 | Dec 03 | 250.9° | 12:24 | +70.7° | 43.4 | <2 | 0500 | 21 |
psi Ursa Majorids (PSU) | Nov 29-Dec 11 | Dec 04 | 252.0° | 12:15 | +43.9° | 60.8 | <2 | 0500 | 22 |
December phi Cassiopeiids (DPC) | Nov 28-Dec 10 | Dec 04 | 252.0° | 01:18 | +57.7° | 16.5 | <2 | 2000 | 22 |
December rho Virginids (DRV) | Nov 29-Dec 22 | Dec 05 | 253.4° | 12:22 | +12.9° | 68.2 | <2 | 2000 | 23 |
December chi Virginids (XVI) | Nov 26-Dec 30 | Dec 12 | 260.0° | 12:38 | -09.3° | 68.2 | <2 | 0500 | 00 |
eta Hydrids (EHY) | Nov 26-Jan 01 | Dec 12 | 260.0° | 09:02 | +01.8° | 61.8 | <2 | 0500 | 00 |
theta Pyxidids (TPY) | Dec 08-Jan 08 | Dec 18 | 266.6° | 10:17 | -24.4° | 62.5 | <2 | 2000 | 06 |
December sigma Virginids (DSV) | Nov 26-Jan 24 | Dec 22 | 270.0° | 13:49 | +04.6° | 66.1 | <2 | 0500 | 10 |
c Velids (CVE) | Dec 26-Dec 31 | Dec 29 | 277.0° | 09:20 | -54.0° | 39.0 | <2 | 0200 | 18 |
Information and Table Template Courtesy the International Meteor Organization and Masahiro Koseki.
The meteor showers listed above rarely produce an average of more than two shower members per hour. In some cases these showers have been recently discovered by video means, being too weak for visual observers to pick out from the sporadic background. This list is being provided for the experienced observer in order to follow the activity of these weak showers. Good luck with your observations in 2023!
Explanation of the 2023 Meteor Shower Calendar
Shower: named for the constellation or closest star within a constellation where the radiant is located at maximum activity.
Activity Period: the dates when the shower is active and the observer can expect activity from this source.
Maximum: the date on which the maximum activity is expected to occur.
S.L.: the equivalent solar longitude of the date of maximum activity. Solar longitude is measured in degrees (0-359) with 0 occurring at the exact moment of the spring equinox, 90 at the summer solstice, 180 at the autumnal equinox, and 270 at the winter solstice. Scientists use this time measurement as it is independent of the calendar and its leap years.
Radiant: the area in the sky where shower meteors seem to appear from. This position is given in right ascension (celestial longitude) and declination (celestial latitude). The radiant must be near or above the horizon in order to witness activity from a particular shower.
Velocity: the velocity at which shower meteors strike the Earth’s atmosphere. The velocity depends on the angle meteoroids (meteors in space) intersect the Earth. Meteoroids orbiting in the opposite direction of the Earth and striking the atmosphere head-on are much faster than those orbiting in the same direction as the Earth. This velocity is measured in kilometers per second.
r: The Population Index, An estimate of the ratio of the number of meteors in subsequent magnitude classes. Simply stated: the lower the “r” value, the resulting overall mean magnitude of each shower will be brighter. “r” usually ranges from 2.0 (bright) to 3.5 (faint).
ZHR: Zenith Hourly Rate, the average maximum number of shower meteors visible per hour if the radiant is located exactly overhead and the limiting magnitude equals +6.5 (a very dark sky). Actual counts rarely reach this figure as the zenith angle of the radiant is usually less and the limiting magnitude is usually lower than +6.5. ZHR is a useful tool when comparing the actual observed rates between individual observers as it sets observing conditions for all to the same standards.
Time: this is the time of night when meteors from each shower are best seen. Quite often the radiant will culminate after sunrise therefore the last dark hour before dawn will be listed. Daylight Saving Time (Summer Time) is used from March through October. These figures are also highly dependent on the latitude of the observer. The time listed is most precise for mid-northern latitudes.
Moon: the age of the moon in days where 0 is new, 7 is first quarter, 15 is full, and 22 is last quarter. Meteor activity is best seen in the absence of moonlight so showers reaching maximum activity when the moon is less than 10 days old or more than 25 are much more favorably observed than those situated closer to the full moon.
Class: A scale developed by Robert Lunsford to group meteor showers by their intensity:
- Class I: the strongest annual showers with ZHR’s normally ten or better.
- Class II: reliable minor showers with ZHR’s normally two to ten.
- Class III: showers that do not provide annual activity. These showers are rarely active yet have the potential to produce a major display on occasion.
- Class IV: weak minor showers with ZHR’s rarely exceeding two. The study of these showers is best left to experienced observers who use plotting and angular velocity estimates to determine shower association. Observers with less experience are urged to limit their shower associations to showers with a rating of I to III. These showers are also good targets for video and photographic work.