Meteor Showers

NameMax.
(approx.)
Radiant
Constelation
Amount Per Hour (average)Associated Comet
Quadrantids 3 janeiroBig Dipper100C/1490 Y1 or C/1385 U1
Lyrids 22 abrilLyra10Thatcher
Pi-Puppídeas 23 de abrilPuppis526P/Grigg-Skjellerup
Eta Aquarids 4-6 maioAquarius20Halley
Camelopardalids 24 maioCamelopardalis20209P/LINEAR
Arietídeas 7 junhoÁries6096P/Machholz & groups Marsden & Kracht
Bootídeas de Juno 28 junhoBoötes2Pons-Winnecke
Delta Aquarids 29 julhoAquarius2096P/Machholz & groups Marsden & Kracht
Alfa Capricornídeas Aug 1stCapricórnio5169P/NEAT
Perseids Aug 12thPerseus80Swift-Tuttle
Kappa Cignídeas Aug 18thCisne52008 ED69 (asteroide)
Alfa-Aurigídeas Sep 1stAuriga10C/1911 N1 (Kiess)
Draconids Oct 8thDraco50021P/Giacobini-Zinner
Orionids Oct 20-22Orion25Halley
South Taurids Nov 5thTaurus15Enke
North Taurids Nov 8thTaurus152004 TG10 (asteroides) e outros
Andromedíades Nov 9thAndrômeda33D/Biela
Leonídeas Nov 16-18Leão15Temple-Tuttle
Alfa-Monocerotídeas Nov 21-22Monoceros5?
Foenicídeas Dec 5thFênix5289P/Blanpain
Geminids Dec 12-15Gemini75Phaeton (asteroide)
Ursídeas Dec 22ndUrsa Menor108P/Tuttle

Meteror showers phenomena happens when our planet crosses streams of cosmic debris left by comets or asteroids. As they approach the sun, comets leave part of its volatile material, creating structures also known as comet tail and coma. In the evaporation process, solid particles are also released from the nucleus. When planet earth crosses this trail left by the comet, the solid particles left behind enter in the atmosphere producing this amazing spectacle called meteor shower. There same phenomena may be produced by asteroid’s particles, though very rare but it happens. Collided asteroids, or astral bodies that used to be comets, but lost volatile material, may also leave trails of solid particles.

As Earth’s orbit along with the orbits of various comets and asteroids, it is possible to forecast dates for meteor showers. We are incapable, however, to precisely measure the amount of meteors for the upcoming shower.

At each shower, there is a specific region where the meteors seem to be coming from, this region is called radiant, and each shower is named after the position of the constellation where the radiant is localized.