Meteor Shower Calendar 2024: When to See Shooting Stars
Our guide has everything you need to know about the upcoming meteor showers — including the dates of activity, best time to view, radiant location, and number of shooting stars per hour. We also provide tips on observing meteors in the sky and answer the most popular questions about shooting stars. To learn more about meteor showers, check out our infographic.
Contents
Meteor Showers 2024
In the list below, we’ve included notable meteor showers that will occur in 2024. All of them have a zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) of at least 10 meteors per hour. We’ve added a star emoji to particularly promising showers with favorable observation conditions.
Quadrantids: January 3-4
- Meteors/hour: 80
- Moon illumination: 46%
- Active: Dec 28 - Jan 12
- Radiant location: Bootes
- Parent body: Asteroid 2003 EH1
- Visible from: Northern Hemisphere
The first meteor shower of the year — the mighty Quadrantids — is a marvelous sight to see. Under suitable conditions, this meteor stream can provide dozens of shooting stars per hour. This year, its peak coincides with the Last Quarter Moon. The sky will be the darkest for a few hours after sunset, until moonrise. It will be the best time to see the meteors. Bright fireballs can also be observed for a few days after the peak.
Lyrids: April 22-23
- Meteors/hour: 18
- Moon illumination: 98%
- Active: Apr 14-30
- Radiant location: Lyra
- Parent body: Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher
- Visible from: everywhere
According to the International Meteor Organization, the Lyrids are a medium-strength meteor shower that can occasionally produce bright fireballs. Unfortunately, in 2024, the Lyrids reach their peak three days before the Full Moon, and most of the meteors will likely get lost in the bright moonlight.
Eta Aquariids: May 5-6 🌟
- Meteors/hour: 50
- Moon illumination: 9%
- Active: Apr 19 - May 28
- Radiant location: Aquarius
- Parent body: Halley’s Comet
- Visible from: everywhere
On a clear dark night, the Eta Aquariids can produce up to 50 meteors per hour if you watch them from the southern latitudes. North of the equator, you can see 10-30 shooting stars per hour. This year, the observing conditions are good – the Moon won’t interfere, and you’ll get the whole night to see the meteors.
Southern Delta Aquariids: July 30-31 🌟
- Meteors/hour: 25
- Moon illumination: 15%
- Active: Jul 12 - Aug 23
- Radiant location: Aquarius
- Parent body: Comet 96P/Machholz
- Visible from: everywhere
The Southern Delta Aquariids are another prolific meteor shower that is best observed from the Southern Hemisphere. Its meteors are quite faint and hard to spot under imperfect observation conditions. This year, the Southern Delta Aquariids reach their peak shortly after the Last Quarter Moon, and the radiant is observable until sunrise.
Here’s a small consolation for you: according to NASA, you’ll have one more chance to spot the Delta Aquariids meteors during the Perseids peak in August. If you see a meteor coming from the southern part of the sky (where the constellation Aquarius lies), be sure it’s a Delta Aquariid meteor. The Perseid radiant is located in the northern part of the sky.
Perseids: August 12-13 🌟
- Meteors/hour: 100
- Moon illumination: 53%
- Active: Jul 17 - Aug 24
- Radiant location: Perseus
- Parent body: Comet Swift–Tuttle
- Visible from: Northern Hemisphere
The Perseids are rightfully considered the best meteor shower of the year north of the equator: they peak during warm August nights and produce lots of swift and bright meteors. In 2024, the Moon will be in the First Quarter phase during the shower’s peak. By the time the radiant elevates the highest, the Moon will hide below the horizon and won’t pose a problem. This means if the weather is good, you’ll be able to see up to 100 meteors per hour! The Perseids are best viewed from midnight to sunrise when their radiant is high in the sky.
Orionids: October 21-22
- Meteors/hour: 20
- Moon illumination: 70%
- Active: Oct 2 - Nov 7
- Radiant location: Orion
- Parent body: Halley's Comet
- Visible from: everywhere
The Orionids are a medium-strength meteor shower capable of showing occasional bursts of activity. For instance, according to the American Meteor Society, in 2006-2009, the Orionids’ peak rates nearly rivaled those of the Perseids, reaching 50-75 meteors per hour. However, this year, the Orionids reach their maximum just a week after the Full Moon, so the meteors will be badly affected by the moonlight.
Leonids: November 17-18
- Meteors/hour: 10
- Moon illumination: 92%
- Active: Nov 6-30
- Radiant location: Leo
- Parent body: Comet Tempel-Tuttle
- Visible from: everywhere
The Leonids are most famous for producing spectacular meteor storms: for instance, in 1966, observers in the United States reported seeing 40 to 50 meteors per second, although much more often, we see the usual 10 meteors per hour. Unfortunately, in 2024, the Leonids reach their peak just two days after the Full Moon, so we might see no meteors at all.
Geminids: December 14-15
- Meteors/hour: 150
- Moon illumination: 99%
- Active: Dec 4-20
- Radiant location: Gemini
- Parent body: Asteroid 3200 Phaethon
- Visible from: everywhere
The Geminids are one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year. Their meteors are bright, plentiful, intensely colored, and slower moving. In 2024, the peak activity of the Geminids occurs right before the Full Moon. Observers from locations south of 30°N can get about an hour after the moonset to observe the meteors in the dark sky and the radiant hanging reasonably high.
Ursids: December 22-23
- Meteors/hour: 10
- Moon illumination: 44%
- Active: Dec 17-26
- Radiant location: Ursa Minor
- Parent body: Comet 8P/Tuttle
- Visible from: Northern Hemisphere
The Ursids are a minor meteor shower that always peaks around the December solstice and produces 5-10 shooting stars per hour. This shower is often neglected because the mighty Geminids occur just a week before it. This year, the Ursids are not as affected by the Moon as the Geminids, so you can give them a chance. The Last Quarter Moon will rise in the late night, giving you plenty of time with the dark sky.
This was our list of the most noteworthy meteor showers of 2024. If you want to know about all of the year’s meteor showers and their peak dates, consult the Calendar in Sky Tonight: tap the calendar icon at the bottom of the screen, and open the Meteors tab.
How to see a meteor shower?
Here are a few basic tips that will help you enhance your meteor-watching experience. If you’d like to test your meteor-hunting knowledge and skills, take our quiz on how to catch a shooting star!
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Check the weather forecast. Clear skies are necessary to see the maximum number of meteors — clouds, rain, and snow can easily ruin your observations. You can check the weather forecast for any nearest date in the Visible Tonight section of our stargazing app Sky Tonight.
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Dress warmly. You may get pretty cold while waiting for meteors to appear. So take some extra clothes with you even if it’s summer outside. A hot drink will also help you stay warm.
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Bring a blanket or deck chair. Meteor-hunting involves a lot of looking up, so instead of standing, it’s better to lie on a blanket or sit on a reclining chair. Your neck will be grateful to you!
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Look towards the zenith. Meteors seem to originate from the meteor shower’s radiant, but in practice, they can appear anywhere in the sky. So the more of the sky you see, the better your chance is to spot a shooting star. The best practice here is to lie flat on your back and look straight up.
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Use a red-colored flashlight. Unlike ordinary flashlights, a red-colored one will preserve your night vision. To make a red-colored flashlight, you can simply wrap a piece of red cellophane around your standard flashlight.
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Avoid looking at your phone. Your smartphone’s bright screen is bad for night vision, so you should avoid using it. If you need to consult a stargazing app, turn the Night Mode on — it will be a little easier on your eyes.
You can get more tips on observing and photographing meteor showers from our dedicated article.
F.A.Q.
What is a meteor?
A meteor, or “shooting star”, is a bright streak of light in the sky. It is created when tiny particles of cometary or asteroidal dust (called meteoroids) burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. If you want to learn more about the differences between meteors, meteoroids, and meteorites, check out our quiz.
How fast do meteors travel?
According to the American Meteor Society, grains of space dust (soon-to-be meteors) enter the Earth’s atmosphere at speeds ranging from 11 km/sec to 72 km/sec. The Leonids are considered to produce some of the fastest meteors of all.
What color are shooting stars?
Meteors can take different colors depending on the meteoroid’s chemical composition and the interaction of its atoms with the molecules in the atmosphere. Here are the main meteor colors (with the corresponding chemical elements in brackets):
- Orange-yellow (sodium)
- Yellow (iron)
- Blue-green (magnesium)
- Violet (calcium)
- Red (atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen)
What is a meteor storm?
A meteor storm is a meteor shower that produces more than 1,000 meteors per hour. They occur when the Earth passes through a very dense part of a comet’s debris trail. The most spectacular meteor storm in recent history was the Leonids outburst in 1966.
Bottom line
In 2024, many of the usual favorites – the Lyrids, Orionids, Leonids, and Geminids – are affected by the moonlight and are unlikely to appear in all their grace. The Quadrantids and Perseids will have better (yet not ideal) observing conditions, as well as the Ursids. The Eta Aquariids and Southern Delta Aquariids will get the darkest sky and are definitely worth attention this year.
