Meteor Shower List and Drift Table
Meteor Shower Calendar
List of Meteor Showers
The tables below contain the observable meteor showers throughout the year, as well as the drift of each radiant for every individual shower. They are also included in the guide. A detailed description of the meteor showers with finder charts can be found on the pages of the International Meteor Organisation (IMO).
| Shower | From | To | Maximum | l | Radiant a | Radiant d | v | r | ZHR | Code |
| Quadrantids | 01 Jan | 05 Jan | 03 Jan | 283.16° | 230° | +49° | 41 | 2.1 | 120 | QUA |
| Delta Leonids | 15 Feb | 10 Mar | 24 Feb | 336° | 168° | +16° | 23 | 3.0 | 2 | DLE |
| Lyrids | 16 Apr | 25 Apr | 22 Apr | 032.32° | 271° | +34° | 49 | 2.9 | 18 | LYR |
| Eta Aquariids | 19 Apr | 28 May | 05 May | 045.5° | 339° | −01° | 66 | 2.7 | 60 | ETA |
| Eta Lyrids | 03 May | 12 May | 09 May | 048.4° | 288° | +44° | 44 | 3.0 | 3 | ELY |
| June Bootids | 22 Jun | 02 Jul | 27 Jun | 95.7° | 224° | +48° | 17 | 3.0 | var. | JBO |
| Piscis Austrinids | 15 Jul | 10 Aug | 28 Jul | 125° | 340° | −30° | 35 | 3.0 | 5 | PAU |
| Southern Delta Aquariids | 12 Jul | 19 Aug | 28 Jul | 125° | 339° | −16° | 41 | 3.2 | 20 | SDA |
| Alpha Capricornids | 03 Jul | 15 Aug | 30 Jul | 127° | 307° | −10° | 23 | 2.5 | 4 | CAP |
| Perseids | 17 Jul | 24 Aug | 12 Aug | 140.0° | 046° | +58° | 59 | 2.6 | 100 | PER |
| Kappa Cygnids | 03 Aug | 25 Aug | 17 Aug | 145° | 286° | +59° | 25 | 3.0 | 3 | KCG |
| Alpha Aurigids | 25 Aug | 08 Sep | 01 Sep | 158.6° | 084° | +42° | 66 | 2.6 | 7 | AUR |
| September Perseids | 05 Sep | 17 Sep | 09 Sep | 166.7° | 059° | +47° | 64 | 2.9 | 5 | SPE |
| Delta Aurigids | 18 Sep | 10 Oct | 04 Oct | 191° | 091° | +43° | 64 | 2.9 | 2 | DAU |
| Draconids | 06 Oct | 10 Oct | 08 Oct | 195.4° | 262° | +54° | 20 | 2.6 | var. | GIA |
| Epsilon Geminids | 14 Oct | 27 Oct | 18 Oct | 205° | 100° | +27° | 70 | 3.0 | 2 | EGE |
| Orionids | 02 Oct | 07 Nov | 21 Oct | 208° | 095° | +16° | 66 | 2.9 | 23 | ORI |
| Leonis Minorids | 19 Oct | 27 Oct | 24 Oct | 211° | 163° | +37° | 62 | 3.0 | 2 | LMI |
| Southern Taurids | 25 Sep | 25 Nov | 05 Nov | 223° | 052° | +13° | 27 | 2.3 | 5 | STA |
| Northern Taurids | 25 Sep | 25 Nov | 12 Nov | 230° | 058° | +22° | 29 | 2.3 | 5 | NTA |
| Leonids | 10 Nov | 23 Nov | 17 Nov | 235.27° | 153° | +22° | 71 | 2.5 | var. | LEO |
| Alpha Monocerotids | 15 Nov | 25 Nov | 21 Nov | 239.32° | 117° | +03° | 65 | 2.7 | var. | AMO |
| Monocerotids | 27 Nov | 17 Dec | 09 Dec | 257° | 100° | +08° | 42 | 3.0 | 2 | MON |
| Sigma Hydrids | 03 Dec | 15 Dec | 12 Dec | 260° | 127° | +02° | 58 | 3.0 | 3 | HYD |
| Geminids | 07 Dec | 17 Dec | 14 Dec | 262.2° | 112° | +33° | 35 | 2.6 | 120 | GEM |
| Coma Berenicids | 12 Dec | 23 Jan | 19 Dec | 268° | 175° | +25° | 65 | 3.0 | 5 | COM |
| Ursids | 17 Dec | 26 Dec | 22 Dec | 270.7° | 217° | +76° | 33 | 3.0 | 10 | URS |
| Antihelion source | 01 Jan | 31 Dec | 30 | 3.0 | ~3 | ANT |
The specified maximum number of meteors per hour for an observer refers to a dark night sky without disturbing light and the radiant being near the zenith. Under poorer conditions (haze, twilight, light from lamps and/or the moon) and with a low radiant position, this number decreases noticeably. For an observer, meteors of a shower only become visible at all when the radiant stands above the horizon. Most of the radiants only achieve a favorable position during the course of the night, so the best conditions are usually given after midnight.
Geminid meteor shower captured on 14.12.2013 (Photo: Hermann Koberger)
Perseids 2013 (Photo: Michael Theusner)