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< back to Solar System
Solar System: Meteors
The following table lists the major annual meteor showers in our solar system. Note that some meteors are actually from the dust tail of various comets that orbit around the sun.
| Meteors |
Max |
Rate |
RA |
Dec |
Comet |
Notes |
|
| Alpha Aurigids |
5-Feb |
|
5h 00m |
41 |
|
Very slow fireballs |
|
| Alpha Cygnids |
1-Jul |
|
21h 00m |
48 |
|
Fast |
|
| Alpha Scorpiids |
2-Jun |
|
16h 52m |
-22 |
|
Very slow fireballs |
|
| Alpha/Beta Perseids |
23-Jul |
|
3h 12m |
43 |
Swift-Tuttle |
Very fast |
|
| Andromedids |
17-Nov |
|
1h 40m |
43 |
|
Very slow |
|
| Annual Andromedids |
25-Sep |
|
|
|
|
Slow |
|
| April Lyrids |
22-Apr |
14 |
18h 16m |
34 |
Thatcher-Swift |
Moderately fast, bright trails |
|
| Beta Taurids |
30-Jun |
|
5h 41m |
19 |
Encke |
|
|
| Capricornids |
29-Jul |
15 |
21h 0m |
-15 |
|
Yellow, brilliant and slow |
|
| Chi Cygnids |
17-Jan |
|
19h 40m |
53 |
|
Slow evanescent trails |
|
| Coma Berenicids |
12-Dec |
5 |
|
|
|
Extremely fast |
|
| Delta Aquarids |
29-Jul |
36/2 |
22h 36m |
0 to -17 |
|
Slow with double radiant |
|
| Delta Leonids |
5-Feb |
10 |
11h 12m |
16 |
|
Average speeds |
|
| Draconids |
8-Oct |
10 |
18h |
61 |
Giacobini-Zinner |
Slow |
|
| E Taurids |
1-Nov |
15 |
3h 32m |
14 |
Encke |
Slow and bright |
|
| Epsilon Arietids |
12-Oct |
|
2h 48m |
21 |
|
Very slow fireballs |
|
| Epsilon Perseids |
7-Sep |
|
4h 04m |
35 |
|
Fast persistent trails |
|
| Epsilon Taurids |
30-Oct |
|
4h 16m |
22 |
|
Slow fireballs |
|
| Eta Aquarids |
5-May |
18 |
22h 25m |
0 |
Halley |
|
|
| Eta Pegasids |
30-May |
|
22h 12m |
27 |
|
Very fast persistent trails |
|
| Gamma Aquarids |
5-May |
|
22h 24m |
0 |
|
Very fast long trails |
|
| Gamma Draconids |
1-Jun |
|
17h 56m |
48 |
|
Slow evanescent trails |
|
| Geminids |
13-Dec |
100 |
7h 32m |
32 |
Phaethon |
Average speeds; multi-colored |
|
| Iota Aquarids |
5-Aug |
13/2 |
22h 32m |
55 |
|
Double radiant |
|
| Iota Draconids |
27-Jun |
|
15h 12m |
57 |
|
Very slow |
|
| June Lyrids |
15-Jun |
10 |
18h 32m |
35 |
|
Blue persistent trails |
|
| Kappa Cygnids |
20-Aug |
10 |
19h 29m |
55 |
|
Bright exploding fireballs |
|
| Lacertids |
1-Aug |
|
22h 08m |
49 |
|
Average speeds and short |
|
| Leonids |
18-Nov |
|
10h 08m |
22 |
Tempel-Tuttle |
Very fast; 33-year peak |
|
| N. Piscids |
25-Sep |
|
|
|
|
Average speeds |
|
| N. Taurids |
19-Sep |
|
|
|
|
Average speeds |
|
| Ophiuchids |
20-Jun |
15 |
17h 20m |
-20 |
|
|
|
| Orionids |
21-Oct |
20 |
6h 20m |
15 |
Halley |
Fast; yellow and green |
|
| Perseids |
12-Aug |
60 |
3h 04m |
58 |
Swift-Tuttle |
Very fast |
|
| Phoenicids |
5-Dec |
25 |
01h 00m |
-55 |
|
|
|
| Quadrantids |
3-Jan |
100 |
15h 28m |
50 |
|
Radiant in Bootes. Bright, blue and fast. |
|
| S. Piscids |
31-Aug |
|
|
|
|
Average speeds |
|
| Sigma Leonids |
21-Mar |
|
|
|
|
Average speeds |
|
| Tau Herculids |
19-May |
|
|
|
|
Slow |
|
| Ursids |
23-Dec |
15 |
14h 28m |
76 |
Tuttle |
Average speeds |
|
| Zeta Bootids |
10-Mar |
|
14h 32m |
12 |
|
Fast persistent trails |
|
| Zeta Herculids |
11-May |
|
16h 28m |
28 |
|
Fast |
|
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