These meteor showers recur each year; in some cases they have been recognized for hundreds of years. The name of the shower in most cases indicates the constellation from which the meteors appear. The radiant coordinates are given in right ascension and declination; beginners will need to plot these coordinates on a good star chart to see exactly where in the sky the radiant lies. Suitable star maps can be found in several basic-level books, check your local library if you don't have one.
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Date of Maximum | Radiant Coordinates |
---|---|---|
Quadrantids | Jan. 3-4 | RA 15h 28m Dec. +50 deg |
Lyrids | Apr. 21-22 | RA 18h 16m Dec. +34 deg |
Eta Aquarids | May 5-6 | RA 22h 24m Dec. 0 deg |
Delta/Iota Aquarids | July 29-30 | RA 22h 36m Dec. -17 deg |
Perseids | Aug. 11-12 | RA 3h 04m Dec. +58 deg |
Orionids | Oct. 21-22 | RA 6h 20m Dec. +15 deg |
Taurids | Nov. 4-5 | 3h 32m Dec. +14 deg |
Leonids | Nov. 16-17 | RA 10h 08m Dec. +22 deg |
Geminids | Dec. 13-14 | RA 7h 32m Dec. +32 deg |
Ursids | Dec. 22-23 | RA 14h 28m Dec. +76 deg |