An annual star event called the Lyrids meteor shower is lighting up the sky this weekend, peaking late Sunday, April 21 and before dawn on Monday, April 22. The light show can actually be seen through the 25th, but a bright, shining moon might get in the way of the spectacle.
Thanks to that glowing moon, around 4 a.m. on Monday morning will be the best time to see the sparkling comets in the sky. Lucky skygazers in the southern US are in for the best view of all.
If you're going to look up from that smartphone for just one night, make it Dec. 13 — it'll be worth it. The Geminid meteor shower, which, according to NASA, is "rich in fireballs," will be at its peak, with an especially good showing this year because the lack of moonlight that night will make for a perfectly dark display.
The Geminid meteor shower is unique in that it's slow, bright, and graceful, and unlike other celestial showers, the streaks of light come from leftovers of an asteroid, not comets. Looking at the night sky, the Geminids seem to originate from the constellation Gemini, hence the name. Check out our list of more shower-watching pro tips for the ultimate meteor viewing experience.
The sparks that shoot across the heavens every mid- to late October aren't fireworks or orbiting satellites, it's the Orionid meteor shower, which peaks just before dawn this Sunday, Oct. 21. Earthlings will be able to see about 25 meteor sightings per hour, according to NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. Also on full display are Venus, Jupiter, and the Taurus, Gemini, and Orion constellations.
If you're stuck indoors, catch the celestial wonder on a live Ustream feed from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center between 11 p.m. Oct. 20 and 3 a.m. Oct. 21. A live Q & A with astronomer Mitzi Adams will appear alongside the meteor live stream.
If you're lucky enough to get outside, set your alarm for a few hours before sunrise the morning of Sunday, Oct. 21, and get as far away from city lights as possible. Check out this interactive sky map as a guide to the night skies in your area, and take it with you on your Orionid meteor shower watch to see how many constellations you can spot.
Every August for about the last 2,000 years, the meteor shower Perseides has passed through the sky. The spectacle is linked to the comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years. Here's how it works: as Earth passes through the comet's debris, the pieces burn in our planet's atmosphere to create a meteor shower. This year, the Perseid meteor shower will peak on the night of Aug. 11 and run through the morning of Aug. 12 — with Perseid rates that can get as high as 100 per hour.
A camera mounted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, will be capturing the meteor shower, and you can watch the live video feed below. During the day, you'll see a dark gray box, but when the camera turns on at dusk, you'll see white dots (stars) against a black background.
Hoping to learn more about the Perseid meteor shower? Visit the NASA website for a live "Up All Night" chat with astronomer Bill Cooke and his team. The experts will be available to answer questions about the meteor shower from Aug. 11 at 11 p.m. to Aug. 12 at 3 a.m. EDT.
If the new year's fireworks weren't enough for you this weekend, fear not — a big meteor shower, called the Quadrantids, will be producing up to 100 falling stars an hour tomorrow morning, essentially creating a natural fireworks show the entire country can see. The light show kicks off in the Northern hemisphere on Wednesday morning at 3 a.m. local time, with meteors coming from the North sky and radiating out from below the handle of the Big Dipper. You should be able to see at least one shooting star per minute until 5 a.m. local time.
The good news is that the National Weather Center is predicting clear skies for most of the country, but if you do have clouds or fog above your head in the early morning hours (or, if it's too cold to hang outside for two hours), there are a few ways you might still be able to see the show with a few live cams. Check them out below!
