How to watch a meteor shower
When to go out, where to look and how many meteors to expect from the Perseids, Geminids and the rest.
Timing beats everything
- Most showers are best after midnight, when your side of Earth faces forward into the debris stream, like a windscreen in the rain.
- Watch on the peak night and the night before or after; check the dates and Moon on the meteor shower calendar.
- A bright Moon can cut the count by more than half. The Geminids and Perseids are worth watching even then.
Where to look
Not at the radiant. Meteors can appear anywhere; those far from the radiant have longer trails. Look about 45° up, a third of the sky away from the radiant, in the darkest direction you have.
How many will you see
The headline ZHR assumes a perfect sky with the radiant overhead. From a suburb, divide by three or four; from a dark site with the radiant at 45°, expect about half. A Perseid peak from the countryside typically gives 40–60 an hour, the Geminids a little more.
Comfort
Lie back on a reclining chair or mat, dress for one season colder than the forecast, put the phone away and give it at least an hour: meteors come in clumps, with quiet minutes in between.