Meteor Activity Outlook for 3-9 October 2026

During this period the moon’s phase will wane from half-illuminated to nearly new. This weekend the last quarter moon will rise near 23:00 local standard time (LST). The moon will be a nuisance if in your field of view. It would be best to face in the opposite direction where successful meteor observations can still be obtained. As the week progresses, its phase wanes and it rises later during morning hours so observations late in this period should yield better results compared to the weekend.

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. 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, October 3/4. 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:

Details of each source will continue next week when lunar conditions are more favorable.

The Draconids (DRA) are active from October 6-10. Your best chance of seeing any of this activity would be on the evening of October 8 as soon as it becomes dark. At that time of night the radiant lies high in the northwestern sky for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. Those viewing from south of the equator have a far more difficult time trying to see any activity from this source as it lies low in the north at this time. These meteors are not visible south of latitude 40S. The radiant lies at 17:32 (253) +56, which is located one degree north of the faint double star known as Kuma (nu Draconis). Rates at maximum are usually only a few meteors per hour. There have been impressive outbursts of activity from this shower but nothing unusual is expected this year. With an entry velocity of 21 km/sec., the average DRA meteor would be of medium-slow velocity.

The annual Southern Taurids (STA) are expected to peak around October 15 when the large radiant lies within the borders of the constellation of Aries. It is often known as the October Arietids at this time. The periodic portion of this shower is expected to peak during the first week of November when it lies in Taurus. The current radiant lies at 01:52 (028) +07. This position lies in southeastern Pisces, two degrees southeast of the fourth magnitude star known as Tocular (omicron Piscium). These meteors are best seen near 02:00 LST when the radiant lies highest in the southern sky. Hourly rates are expected to be near two no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 30 km/sec., the average STA meteor would be of medium-slow velocity.

The Orionids (ORI) are active from October 2 through November 12, peaking on October 23^rd. The radiant currently lies at 05:28 (082) +14, which places it in northern Orion, four degrees northwest of the third magnitude star known Meissa (lambda Orionis). Current rates are expected to be less than one per hour no matter your location. The radiant is best placed near 06:00 LST when it lies highest in the southern sky. With an entry velocity of 67 km/sec., the average ORI meteor would be of swift velocity.

The epsilon Geminids (EGE) are active from October 1 through November 4. Maximum activity occurs near October 17. The radiant is currently located near 05:52 (088) +30, which is located in southern Auriga, five degrees northeast of the second magnitude star known as El Nath (beta Tauri). These meteors are best seen during the last dark hour of the night when the radiant lies highest in the southern sky. Hourly rates are expected to be less than one no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 70 km/sec., the average EGE meteor 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 07:44 (116) +47. This area of the sky lies in central Lynx. The nearest star of note is fourth magnitude Alsciaukat (31 Lyncis), which lies six degrees to the southeast if the SLY radiant. 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 66km/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 10:28 (157) -03, which is located in central Sextans, near the position of the faint star known as delta Sextantis. Current hourly rates are expected to be near 1 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 32 km/sec., these meteors have a medium-slow velocity.

The October Camelopardalids (OCT) were first observed during an outburst of activity by G. Percy Bailey of Blackburn, England, on October 4, 1902. Other reports of enhance activity were reported in 1942, 1976, and 2005. This shower is now recognized as an annual shower with a short duration of only three nights. Most of the activity is concentrated near the time of maximum which is expected to occur near 03:54 Universal Time on October 6. This timing is favorable for Europe and western Asia.  The radiant lies at 11:10 (168) +79, which places it in a remote area of Camelopardalis. See the chart for the radiant position. The radiant lies above the horizon all night long. but is best placed during the late morning hours. These meteors are not visible from the Southern Hemisphere due to the very high northern declination. At 46km/sec., these meteors would be of 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 8 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 4 per hour as seen from rural observing sites and 2 per hour during the evening hours. Morning rates are reduced due to moonlight.

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 Oct 03/04

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
Draconids (STA)	Oct 09	17:32 (253) +56	21	18:00	<1 – <1	III
Southern Taurids (STA)	Oct 15	01:52 (028) +07	30	02:00	2 – 2	II
Orionids (ORI)	Oct 23	05:28 (082) +14	67	06:00	<1 – <1	III
epsilon Geminids (EGE)	Oct 17	05:52 (088) +30	70	07:00	1 – 1	II
September Lyncids (SLY)	Sep 29	06:48 (102) +49	59	08:00	<1 – <1	II
Daytime Sextantids (DSX)	Oct 02	10:28 (157)  -03	32	11:00	<1 – <1	II
October Camelopardalids (OCT)	Oct 06	11:10 (168) +79	46	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.