Meteor Activity Outlook for 19-25 September 2026

During this period the moon’s phase will wax from half-illuminated to nearly full. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours allowing a few hours of dark skies between moonset and dawn. This period of darkness shrinks with each passing night until late in the week when the moon is above the horizon nearly all night long.

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. 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, September 19/20. 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.

 

 

The following sources of meteoric activity are expected to be active this week:

This is the time of year when the Southern Taurids (STA) become active with a radiant superimposed upon the Anthelion radiant. There is no way a visual observer can separate these two showers, so we ask that any of these meteors be labeled as Southern Taurids since they are the stronger source. The radiant currently lies at 01:20 (020) +04, which places it in southeastern Pisces near the faint star known as 89 Piscium. It will soon enter the constellation of Aries and is often called the October Arietids since it lies well west of Taurus. The radiant is best placed near 01:00 when it lies highest in the northern sky. There is a minor peak of three meteors per hour near October 15^th. Slightly higher rates should be evident during the first week of November. Current rates are only 1 per hour due to the bright moon. With an entry velocity of 34 km/sec., the average STA meteor would be of medium velocity.

The last of the September epsilon Perseids (SPE) are visible this week from a radiant located at 3:56 (059) +40. This area of the sky lies in central Perseus, one degree southwest of the third magnitude star known as Áldu (epsilon 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 should be less than one per hour no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 65 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 05:20 (080) +04, which places it in central Orion, three degrees southwest of the second magnitude star known as Bellatrix (gamma Orionis). 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 66 km/sec., the average meteor from this source would be of swift velocity.

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 secondary radiant which is active from September 13-October 14 with a peak on September 30. The current position of the radiant lies at 06:48 (102) +49. This area of the sky lies in extreme northeastern Auriga, near the spot occupied by the faint star known as Psi⁶ Aurigae. 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. With an entry velocity of 59km/sec., the average meteor would be of swift velocity.

The Daytime Sextantids (DSX) were discovered by A. A. Weiss in 1957 during a radio-meteor survey at Adelaide, South Australia. These meteors are active from September 22-October 13, peaking near October 2. The radiant is currently located at 09:36 (144) +01, which is located in western Hydra, 8 degrees north of the second magnitude star known as Alphard (alpha Hydrae). Current hourly rates are less than one per hour, no matter your location. These meteors are only seen during the last dark hour prior to dawn as it only lies thirty degrees west of the sun. At 34 km/sec., these meteors appear at medium 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 10 sporadic meteors per hour during the last hour before dawn as seen from rural observing sites. Evening rates would be near 2 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 1 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.

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 19/20

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
Southern Taurids (STA)	Oct 15	01:20 (020) +04	34	02:00	1 – 1	II
September epsilon Perseids (SPE)	Sep 09	03:56 (059) +40	65	05:00	<1 – <1	II
nu Eridanids (NUE)	Sep 08	05:20 (080)   +04	66	07:00	<1 – <1	II
September Lyncids (SLY)	Sep 29	06:48 (102) +49	59	10:00	<1 – <1	II
Daytime Sextantids (DSX)	Oct 02	09:36 (144) +01	34	11:00	<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.