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A meteor streaks through the night sky during the Geminid meteor shower over Fort Harishchandra on December 15, 2018 in Ahmednagar, India. Pratik Chorge / Hindustan Times via Getty Images
If you are stressed out by what is happening on Earth right now, it is not a bad idea to look up at the sky. The last three months of 2020 are an unusually busy time for celestial events. This Halloween, a blue moon will appear in the sky for the first time in 20 years. Shortly after that, an asteroid the size of a refrigerator is expected to “buzz” on Earth the night before Election Day. And in the coming weeks, a series of rare meteor showers will sweep across the night sky at its brightest.
Just last weekend, the ε-Geminid meteor shower peaked and will be visible with the naked eye until October 27. The Orionid meteor shower is expected to peak Tuesday night. And this Saturday (October 24), another meteor shower called the Lesser Leonids will reach its maximum brightness.
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A meteor shower is the result of past comet debris intersecting Earth’s orbit and burning up our atmosphere. During a peak, which occurs when the Earth’s orbit passes through the thickest part of the cosmic stream, a meteor shower could reach 10 to 20 meteors per hour.
The Orionids, for example, come from cosmic debris left by Halley’s Comet when it passed Earth in 1986 (it takes a long time for debris from a comet to drift to a position that intersects Earth’s orbit) . Halley’s Comet flies close to Earth. every 76 years. So if you miss the maximum window this time, you will have to wait until the comet passes by again in 2061.
Don’t forget the Orionids #meteorshower has started and will continue until October! ☄️
The peak is 20, ~ 20 meteors / hour. pic.twitter.com/sWbKUvWFr1
– the latest in space (@latestinspace) October 19, 2020
Fortunately, there are many other meteor showers to see this year. Below, we have compiled a list of the major meteor showers, selected by the International Meteorite Organization, their active dates and peak windows.
A meteor shower is most visible after midnight and before sunrise on new moon days or when the moon is far from full. You can also visit astronomy sites, such as timeanddate.com, for more specific viewing tips.
Orionids: active from October 2 to November 7. Peak on October 20.
Minorid Leonids: active from October 19 to 27. Peak on October 24.
Northern Taurids: active from October 20 to December 10. Peak on November 12.
Leonidas: active from November 6 to November 30. Peak on November 17.
α-Monocerotides: active from November 15 to November 25. Peak on November 21.
Monocerotids: active from November 27 to December 20. Peak on December 9.
σ-Hydrides: active from December 3 to December 20. Peak on December 9.
Geminids: active from December 4 to December 17. Peak on December 14.
Ursids: active from December 17 to December 26. Peak on December 22.
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