Lying on a blanket and watching meteors streak across the night sky is the most magical way to spend a clear night. Here are five common types of meteor showers you don’t want to miss.
1. Orionids
The Orionids appear for around a week each October, with up to 70 shooting stars per hour. This is one of the types of meteor showers that come from the galaxy’s most famous comet, Halley’s Comet. Though Halley’s Comet only appears once every 75 years, Earth runs into its dust stream annually. The best time to view the Orionids is around 1 to 2 a.m.
2. Perseids
The Perseids are one of the most famous types of meteor showers. The shower occurs in August of each year and is a result of the Swift-Tuttle comet. Though it’s not the brightest show, it is the most popular due to the warm weather August brings. Expect to see around 60 shooting stars each minute–far more than the Orionids!
3. Leonids
The Leonids are spectacular, producing the brightest meteor showers of the year thanks to Comet Tempel-Tuttle. This shower happens each year in November, but every 33 years it puts on an even more dazzling show. There can be thousands of meteors per minute during this shower, and they can even produce large, streaking fireballs.
4. Geminids
The Geminids are one of the most mysterious types of meteors showers of the year. This December shower stands out because they come from an asteroid which produces a puzzling amount of debris. So far, astronomers aren’t certain why the amount of meteors in this shower has increased, so it’s possible the Geminids could continue to surprise the world.
5. Quadrantids
The Quadrantids are another strange meteor shower. Coming from asteroid 2003 EH1, this meteor shower has a very short peak time of only a few hours. This shower also happens in early January, so the frigid weather keeps most people away. However, this shower is known for its fireballs, blazing across the sky longer and brighter than a normal meteor.
Featured Image from Zetong Li/Unsplash
