Meteor activity picks up a bit during April as the Lyrids become active during the month. The Lyrids are active from the 15th through the 29th, with a pronounced maximum on the 22nd. Sporadic rates during April are steady as seen from both hemispheres with southern observers enjoying more activity than can be seen from the mid-Northern Hemisphere. The eta Aquariids will become active the second half of the month, adding a few swift meteors to the late morning scene.
During this period, the moon will reach its full phase on Thursday, April 2nd. At that time, it will lie opposite the sun and remain above the horizon all night. This weekend, the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours, allowing a brief window to view meteor activity under dark skies.
Evening observers this weekend can expect total hourly rates of 2 from mid-northern latitudes (45°N) and near 3 from tropical southern locations (25°S). Morning observers may see rates near 4 from mid-northern latitudes and near 9 from tropical southern locations. Evening rates are reduced due to moonlight.
The actual rates observed will also depend on factors such as personal light and motion perception, local weather conditions, alertness, and experience in watching meteor activity. Note that the hourly rates listed below are estimates based on observations from dark-sky sites away from urban light sources. Observers viewing from urban areas will see less activity, as only the brighter meteors will be visible from such locations.
The radiant (the area of the sky from which meteors appear to originate) positions and rates listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning, March 28/29. These positions do not change greatly from day to day, so the listed coordinates may be used throughout this entire period. Most star atlases (available online, in bookstores, and at planetariums) include maps with celestial coordinate grids that can help you locate these positions in the sky.
I have also included charts of the sky that display the radiant positions for evening, midnight, and morning. The center of each chart represents the sky directly overhead at the corresponding hour. These charts are oriented for facing south but can be used for any direction by rotating them accordingly. A planisphere or planetarium app is also useful for showing the sky at any time of night on any date of the year.
Activity from each radiant is best seen when it is positioned highest in the sky (culmination), either due north or south along the meridian, depending on your latitude. Radiants that rise after midnight will not reach their highest point in the sky until daylight; therefore, it is best to view them during the last few hours of the night.
It must be remembered that meteor activity is rarely seen directly at the radiant position. Rather, meteors shoot outward from the radiant, so it is best to center your field of view so that the radiant lies near the edge rather than the center. Viewing in this way allows you to trace the path of each meteor back to the radiant (if it belongs to a shower) or in another direction if it is sporadic. Meteor activity is not visible from radiants located far below the horizon.
The positions below are listed in west-to-east order by right ascension (celestial longitude). The positions listed first are located farther west and are therefore accessible earlier in the night, while those listed farther down the list rise later.
Radiant Positions at 21:00 Local Standard Time
Radiant Positions at Midnight Local Standard Time
Radiant Positions at 04:00 Local Summer Time
The following sources of meteoric activity are expected to be active this week:
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The center of the large Anthelion (ANT) radiant is currently located at 13:24 (201) -06. This position lies in central Virgo, 2 degrees north of the 1st magnitude star known as Spica (alpha Virginis). This radiant is best placed near 0100 local standard time (LST), when it lies on the meridian and is located highest in the northern sky. Rates at this time should be near 1 meteor per hour no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 30 km/sec., the average Anthelion meteor would be of slow velocity.
The nu Cygnids (NCY) are part of weak activity active in Cygnus during March and April. This shower was discovered by Jürgen Rendtel and Sirko Molau of the International Meteor Organization. This particular shower is active from March 22 through April 23, with maximum activity occurring near April 21. The radiant is currently located at 19:16 (289) +32. This area of the sky lies in eastern Lyra, 3 degrees northwest of the 3rd magnitude double star known as Albireo (beta Cygni). This radiant is best placed during the last hour prior to dawn when the radiant lies highest above the northeastern horizon. With an entry velocity of 44 km/sec., the average meteor from this source would be of medium velocity. Expected rates are less than 1 meteor per hour during this period.
The delta Pavonids (DPA) were discovered by Michael Buhagiar from Australia in the 1970’s. These meteors are active from March 21 through April 6, with maximum activity occurring on March 31. The current position of the radiant lies near 19:32 (305) -61. This area of the sky lies in northern Pavo, 6 degrees southwest of the 4th magnitude star known as Peacock (alpha Pavonis). These meteors are best seen during the last dark hour prior to dawn when the radiant lies in the southeastern sky. With an entry velocity of 59 km/sec., the average meteor from this source would be of medium-fast velocity. Expected rates are less than 1 meteor per hour during this period. Due to the far southern location, these meteors are poorly seen from the Northern Hemisphere.
The April epsilon Delphinids (AED) were discovered by P. Jenniskens and R. Rudawska from CAMS and SonotaCo meteoroid orbit surveys published in 2014. This weak source is active from March 31 through April 19, with maximum activity occurring on April 10th. The radiant currently lies at 19:48 (297) +05. This position lies in central Aquila, 4 degrees south of the 1st magnitude star known as Altair (alpha Aquilae). These meteors are best seen during the last hour prior to dawn when the radiant lies highest in the eastern sky. With an entry velocity of 61 km/sec., the average meteor from this source would be of fast velocity. These meteors are best seen during the last dark hour prior to morning twilight when the radiant lies highest in the eastern sky. Current rates are expected to be less than 1 meteor per hour.
The zeta Cygnids (ZCY) is also part of weak activity active in Cygnus during March and April. This particular shower is active from March 21 through May 1, with maximum activity occurring near April 6. The radiant is currently located at 20:20 (298) +40. This area of the sky lies in western Cygnus, 1 degree west of the 2nd magnitude star known as Sadr (gamma Cygni). This radiant is best placed during the last hour prior to dawn when the radiant lies highest above the northeastern horizon. With an entry velocity of 44 km/sec., the average meteor from this source would be of medium velocity. Expected rates are less than 1 meteor per hour during this period. Due to the far northern location, these meteors are poorly seen from the Southern Hemisphere.
Sporadic meteors are those that cannot be associated with any known meteor shower. All meteor showers evolve and disperse over time until they are no longer recognizable. Away from the peaks of major annual showers, these sporadic meteors make up the bulk of the activity seen each night.
As seen from the mid-Northern Hemisphere (45°N), one would expect to see approximately 4 sporadic meteors per hour during the last hour before dawn, from rural observing sites. Evening rates would be near 1 per hour. From tropical southern latitudes (25°S), morning rates would be around 7 per hour and 2 per hour during the evening. Evening rates are reduced due to moonlight.
The list below provides information in tabular form on the active showers that are within reach of the visual observer to discern. Hourly rates are often less than one, so these sources are rarely listed as visual targets in most meteor shower catalogs. If you, like me, wish to associate as many meteors as possible with known sources, you will appreciate these listings.
Before claiming to have observed meteors from these Class IV showers, you should determine whether they truly belong to them and are not chance alignments of sporadic meteors. Note parameters such as duration, length, radiant distance, and elevation of each meteor to help compute the probability of shower association.
It should be remembered that slow meteors can appear in fast showers, but fast meteors cannot be produced by slow showers. Slower showers are those with velocities less than 35 km/sec. Slow meteors can appear from fast showers when they occur close to the radiant or low in the sky.
The table located on page 23 of the IMO’s 2026 Meteor Shower Calendar is a helpful tool for identifying meteors. If you record the length and duration of each meteor, you can use this chart to check the probability of the meteor belonging to a shower of known velocity. If the angular velocity matches the figure in the table, your meteor probably belongs to that shower.
Recognizing meteors from obscure showers requires experience and many hours of observation. It is our hope that you will move beyond simply watching meteors as a celestial display and help expand our knowledge by classifying each meteor you observe.
Rates and positions in the table are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning March 28/29.
| SHOWER | DATE OF MAXIMUM | CELESTIAL POSITION | ENTRY VELOCITY | CULMINATION | HOURLY RATE | CLASS |
| ACTIVITY | RA (RA in Deg.) DEC | Km/Sec | Local Summer Time | North-South | ||
| Anthelion (ANT) | – | 13:24 (201) -06 | 30 | 02:00 | 1 – 1 | II |
| nu Cygnids (NCY) | Apr 21 | 19:16 (289) +32 | 44 | 08:00 | <1 – <1 | IV |
| delta Pavonids (DPA) | Mar 31 | 19:32 (305) -61 | 59 | 08:00 | <1 – <1 | IV |
| April epsilon Delphinids (AED) | Apr 10 | 19:48 (297) +05 | 61 | 08:00 | <1 – <1 | IV |
| zeta Cygnids (ZCY) | Apr 06 | 20:20 (298) +40 | 44 | 09:00 | <1 – <1 | IV |
You can keep track of the activity of these meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal. You can move the sky globe to see different areas of the sky. Colored dots indicate shower meteors while white dots indicate sporadic (random) activity. The large orange disk indicates the position of the sun so little activity will be seen in that area of the sky.
Class Explanation: A scale to group meteor showers by their intensity:
- Class I: the strongest annual showers with Zenith Hourly Rates normally ten or better.
- Class II: reliable minor showers with ZHR’s normally two to ten.
- Class III: showers that do not provide annual activity. These showers are rarely active yet have the potential to produce a major display on occasion.
- Class IV: weak minor showers with ZHR’s rarely exceeding two. The study of these showers is best left to experienced observers who use plotting and angular velocity estimates to determine shower association. These weak showers are also good targets for video and photographic work. Observers with less experience are urged to limit their shower associations to showers with a rating of I to III.
