When is the next meteor shower in the UK?
Your guide to when you can see shooting stars in the UK, including how many you can expect to spot.
If you're interested in getting into astronomy, watching a meteor shower is a great way to get started. They're predictable and easy to see, and you don't need any expensive equipment. In fact, you're better off without a telescope, just a lawn chair, a blanket and a flask of a hot drink.
Read on to find out when you can see each meteor shower in 2022, when the peaks are and how many meteors you can expect to see. Don't worry if there aren't any showers any time soon – you can also check out our full Moon calendar and astronomy for beginners guide.
What is a meteor shower?
A meteor shower is a stream of shooting stars that appears to come from one particular area of the sky.
As comets travel around the Sun, they leave a trail of debris behind. When these fragments, most of which are smaller than a grain of sand, enter the Earth's atmosphere, we call them meteors.
Meteors travel at incredibly high speeds and almost all of them completely disintegrate on their journey through the atmosphere. What we see is the flash of light they give off as they disintegrate.
A meteor shower is named for the area of the sky where the meteors appear to originate. For example, the Lyrids seem to come from the constellation of Lyra, and the Leonids from Leo.
Read more about meteors:
- Perseids: 2021's most active meteor shower in pictures
- How can we tell that a meteorite has come from a particular planet?
- Life on Mars: The story of meteorite ALH84001
When is the next meteor shower in the UK?
The next meteor showers to grace the skies of the UK are the Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids. The showers are both expected to peak on 30 July. The Perseids is also expected to be visible between 17 July and 24 August, with the peak on 12-13 August.
The dates of when you can see each shower, plus the peak and the number you can expect to see per hour, are below.
Delta Aquariids
Visible: 12 July - 23 August
Peak: 30 July
Rate/hour: 25
Alpha Capricornids
Visible: 3 July - 15 August
Peak: 30 July
Rate/hour: 5
Perseids
Visible: 17 July - 24 August
Peak: 12-13 August
Rate/hour: 100
Draconids
Visible: 6-10 October
Peak: 8-9 October
Rate/hour: 10
Orionids
Visible: 2 October - 7 November
Peak: 21-22 October
Rate/hour: 25
Northern Taurids
Visible: 20 October - 10 December
Peak: 12-13 November
Rate/hour: 5
Leonids
Visible: 6-30 November
Peak: 17-18 November
Rate/hour: 10
Geminids
Visible: 4-20 December
Peak: 14-15 December
Rate/hour: 150
Ursids
Visible: 17-26 December
Peak: 22-23 December
Rate/hour: 10
Quadrantids
Visible: 28 December 2022 to 12 January 2023
Peak: 4 January
Rate/hour: 120
Lyrids
Visible: 14-30 April
Peak: 22-23 April
Rate/hour: 18
Eta Aquariids
Visible: 19 April - 28 May
Peak: 6 May
Rate/hour: 50
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