During this period the moon will reach its new phase on Friday September 11th. At that time the moon will be located near the sun and will be invisible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise during the early morning hours and will brighten the sky near it. Successful meter observations can be obtained by facing away from the moon to minimize its interference.
This week evening observers can expect total hourly rates of 1 from mid-northern latitudes (45°N) and near 1 from tropical southern locations (25°S). Morning observers may see rates near 8 from mid-northern latitudes and near 4 from tropical southern locations. Late evening and morning 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, September 05/06. 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 towards 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 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 22:00 Local Summer Time
Radiant Positions at 01:00 Local Summer Time
Radiant Positions at 04:00 Local Summer Time
The following sources of meteoric activity are expected to be active this week:
The chi Cygnids (CCY) were discovered on the night of 14/15 September 2015, when a weak outburst of meteors occurred where none had been observed before. Since then, little activity has been detected until August of 2020, when another mini outburst of possible CCY activity occurred south of the normal radiant between the constellations of Delphinus and Aquila. Some astronomers believe this early appearance may herald another return of the CCY’s from their normal radiant in southern Cygnus. Nothing unusual occurred in September 2020, but activity from this source should be monitored, nonetheless. The most probable dates of this occurring would be on the nights from September 15-17. The current position of the should be near 19:32 (293) +32. This position lies in southwestern Cygnus, five degrees north of the famous third magnitude star known as Albireo (beta Cygni). These meteors can be seen all night long but are best seen near 22:00 LST when the radiant lies nearly overhead as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. Rates are expected to be low but anyone seeing any of these meteors should report them to the International Meteor Organization on their online visual meteor report form or respond to this article directly online. With an entry velocity of 15 km/sec., the average meteor from this source would be of very slow velocity. Unfortunately, these meteors are not well seen from the Southern Hemisphere as Cygnus does not rise high into the sky from those locations.
The large Anthelion (ANT) radiant is currently centered at 23:44 (356) -02. This position lies in western Pisces, four degrees south of the faint star known as lambda Piscium. This radiant is best placed near 02:00 LST when it lies on the meridian and lies highest in the northern sky. Rates at this time should be near two per hour no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 30 km/sec., the average Anthelion meteor would be of medium-slow velocity.
The August beta Piscids (BPI) were first mentioned by Luigi G. Jacchia in his book The Moon, Meteorites and Comets. The BPI’s’s are active from July 28-September 17, with the peak occurring on the August 22. The radiant currently is located near 00:20 (005) +10. This area of the sky is located in western Pisces, five degrees southeast of the third magnitude star known as Algenib (gamma Pegasi). To best see these meteors look in the northern sky near 0300 LST, when it lies on the meridian and is located highest above the horizon. Hourly rates at this time should be less than one no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 37 km/sec., the average meteor from this source would be of medium velocity. These meteors are also known as the Northern delta Aquariids (NDA).
The September epsilon Perseids (SPE) are active from September 5-21, with maximum activity occurring on the 9th. The current position of the radiant lies at 02:56 (044) +39. This area of the sky lies in central Perseus, four degrees southwest of the famous variable star known as Algol (beta) Persei. To best see these meteors, face half-way up toward the north during the last hour prior to dawn. Rates at this time may be near one per hour as seen from the Northern Hemisphere and less than one as seen from south of the equator. There have been outbursts from this source in the past, but none are predicted for this year. With an entry velocity of 64 km/sec., the average meteor would be of swift velocity.
The nu Eridanids (NUE) were co-discovered by Japanese observers using SonotoCo and Jürgen Rendtel and Sirko Molau of the IMO. Activity from this source stretches from August 31 to September 21 An ill-defined maximum occurs near September 8. The radiant currently lies at 04:20 (065) -01, which places it in northeastern Eridanus, 4 degrees northwest of the fourth magnitude star known as nu Eridani. Observers concentrating on this activity should face half-way up in the northeastern sky during the last dark hour prior to dawn to best view these meteors. Current rates are expected to be less than 1 per hour during this period no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 65 km/sec., the average meteor from this source would be of swift velocity.
The eta Eridanids (ERI) are active from July 10 to September 10 with maximum activity occurring on August 5. The radiant currently lies near 04:32 (068) -05. This position lies in northeastern Eridanus, one degree southwest of the fourth magnitude star known as nu Eridani. Current rates are expected to be less than 1 per hour as seen from the Northern Hemisphere and 1 as seen from south of the equator. These meteors are best seen during the last dark hour prior to dawn when the radiant lies high in the northeastern sky. With an entry velocity of 64 km/sec., the average meteor from this source would be of swift speed.
The September Lyncids (SLY) were first detected by B. A. Lindblad by photographic means in 1971. A confirmation of this shower’s activity was obtained in 2009 by the IMO Video Network (Rendtel and Molau). This shower consists of two very weak radiants that are impossible to separate by visual means. The parameters list here are for the stronger radiant which is active from September 4-19 with a peak on September 12. The current position of the radiant lies at 06:44 (101) +65. This area of the sky actually lies in southeastern Camelopardalis, three degrees west of the faint star known as 38 Camelopardalis. See the charts for the location. To best see these meteors, face half-way up toward the northeast during the last hour prior to dawn. Rates at this time are less than one per hour no matter your location. These meteors are very difficult to view from the Southern Hemisphere due to its low elevation. There have been outbursts from this source in the past, but none are predicted for this year. With an entry velocity of 60km/sec., the average meteor would be of swift velocity.
Sporadic meteors are those meteors that cannot be associated with any known meteor shower. All meteor showers are evolving and disperse over time to the point where they are no longer recognizable. Away from the peaks of the major annual showers, these sporadic meteors make up the bulk of the activity seen each night.
As seen from the mid-Northern Hemisphere (45N), one would expect to see during this period approximately nine sporadic meteors per hour during the last hour before dawn as seen from rural observing sites. Evening rates would be near 3 per hour. As seen from the tropical southern latitudes (25S), morning rates would be near 6 per hour as seen from rural observing sites and 2 per hour during the evening hours.
The list below provides information in tabular form on active showers within reach of the visual observer. Hourly rates are often less than one, so these sources are rarely listed as visual targets in most meteor shower catalogs. If you 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, 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 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 have velocities less than 35 km/sec. Slow meteors from fast showers usually occur close to the radiant or low in the sky.
The table 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 estimate the probability of shower association. If the angular velocity matches the table values, your meteor likely belongs to that shower.
Recognizing meteors from obscure showers is not for beginning observers—it takes many hours of practice to develop an instinct for what you are seeing. It is our hope that you will move beyond simply watching meteors as a celestial fireworks display and help expand our knowledge by classifying each meteor you observe.
Rates and positions on the table are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning Sep 05/06
| 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 | ||
| chi Cygnids (CCY) | Sep 16 | 19:32 (293) +32 | 15 | 22:00 | <1 – <1 | IV |
| Anthelion (ANT) | _ | 23:44 (356) -02 | 30 | 02:00 | 2 – 2 | II |
| August beta Piscids (BPI) | Aug 22 | 00:20 (005) +10 | 37 | 03:00 | <1 – <1 | IV |
| September epsilon Perseids (SPE) | Sep 09 | 02:56 (044) +39 | 64 | 05:00 | 1 – <1 | II |
| nu Eridanids (NUE) | Sep 08 | 04:20 (065) -01 | 65 | 07:00 | <1 – <1 | II |
| eta Eridanids (ERI) | Aug 05 | 04:32 (068) -05 | 64 | 07:00 | <1 – <1 | II |
| September Lyncids (SLY) | Sep 12 | 06:44 (101) +65 | 60 | 09:00 | <1 – <1 | II |
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.
