Meteor Shower Calendar

Countdown to the next meteor shower peak, all year round.

See exactly how many days until the next major meteor shower peaks, with its radiant constellation, typical hourly rate, meteor speed, Moon brightness at peak, and parent comet or asteroid. Covers all 13 major annual showers — Quadrantids, Lyrids, Eta Aquariids, Southern Delta Aquariids, Alpha Capricornids, Perseids, Draconids, Orionids, Southern & Northern Taurids, Leonids, Geminids and Ursids — plus practical viewing tips for the best time and place to watch. Runs fully in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

About Meteor Shower Calendar

Meteor Shower Calendar features

How to use Meteor Shower Calendar

  1. Check the countdown

    The top of the page shows the very next meteor shower and exactly how many days until its peak.

  2. Browse every shower

    Scroll the full list to see every major shower's peak date, radiant and typical rate for the year ahead.

  3. Jump to a shower

    Use the dropdown to scroll straight to a specific shower, like the Perseids or Geminids.

  4. Plan your viewing

    Use the viewing tips below to pick the best time and spot — after midnight, away from city lights, and checking the Moon phase.

Frequently asked questions

What is the next meteor shower?

See the live countdown at the top of this page — it's calculated automatically from today's date and always shows the very next major shower, its peak date and how many days away it is.

What causes a meteor shower?

A meteor shower happens when Earth's orbit carries it through a trail of dust and debris left behind by a comet (or occasionally an asteroid). Those tiny particles burn up in the atmosphere at high speed, creating streaks of light we see as meteors.

What is the best meteor shower to watch?

The Perseids (mid-August) and the Geminids (mid-December) are usually the most reliable and active, each producing up to 100-150 meteors per hour under a dark sky. The Quadrantids (early January) can rival them but have a much shorter, sharper peak.

What is a radiant?

The radiant is the point in the sky a shower's meteors appear to streak outward from — an effect of perspective, since the meteors are actually travelling on parallel paths. Showers are named after the constellation containing their radiant.

What is ZHR (zenith hourly rate)?

ZHR is the number of meteors an observer could expect to see per hour under ideal conditions: a perfectly dark sky, the radiant directly overhead, and no moonlight. Real-world counts are almost always lower, especially with any light pollution or a bright Moon.

What is the best time of night to see a meteor shower?

Generally after midnight and before dawn, when the side of Earth you're standing on is facing into its direction of travel — meteors tend to be more frequent and brighter in these hours than in the evening.

Does the Moon affect meteor shower viewing?

Yes — a bright Moon washes out all but the brightest meteors, the same way city lights do. Each shower card shows how illuminated the Moon will be at that shower's peak, so you can tell in advance whether conditions will be good or difficult.

Why do some meteor showers move faster than others?

Speed depends on the angle at which Earth crosses a comet's or asteroid's debris trail. A shower like the Leonids hits at a steep angle, so its meteors slam into the atmosphere at around 71 km/s (fast); the Alpha Capricornids cross at a shallower angle, moving at only about 23 km/s (slow) — which tends to make them brighter and longer-lasting.

Do I need a telescope to see a meteor shower?

No — the naked eye is actually best. Meteors move too fast and cover too much sky for a telescope or binoculars, which only narrow your field of view. Just find a dark spot, lie back, and look roughly halfway up the sky.

Is this meteor shower calendar free?

Yes — completely free, with no sign-up and no app to install. Every date runs instantly in your browser.

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