A guide to meteor showers in 2021
Lyrids
Peaks around April 21–22, 2021
The Lyrids are thought to be a medium strength meteor shower with about 10 to 15 meteors per hour. The best time to watch it will be on April 22, an hour or two before dawn. The Lyrids are an exciting celestial event as they can have rare sudden bursts where meteors enter the sky at 100 meteors per hour. The Lyrids originate from Comet Thatcher and are near the star Vega in the constellation Vega.
Eta Aquariids
Peaks around May 4–5, 2021
The Eta Aquariids is one of the fastest meteor showers with meteors moving through the sky at around 148,000 miles per hour. The best time to view the Eta Aquariids will be on May 5, a few hours before dawn, as the shower peaks around 4 am in morning. It’s best seen in the Southern Hemisphere and during its peak can see between 20 and 30 meteors per hour. The Eta Aquariids are one of the southern hemisphere's best meteor showers of the year while the northern hemisphere tends to view half as many meteors as the southern regions.
Southern Delta Aquariids
Peaks around July 28–29, 2021
The Delta Aquariids are best seen in the Southern Hemisphere and tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The meteor shower can reach up to 15 to 20 meteors per hour and streak across the sky steadily throughout its peak. The shower will be most visible between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. The meteors come from a nearby star Delta positioned in the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer.
Perseids
Peaks around August 11–12, 2021
One of the most popular meteor showers of the year, people have the privilege of watching the Perseids on a pleasant summer night. Around 50 to 100 meteors dash through the atmosphere per hour during the peak of the shower and radiate from the constellation Perseus the Hero. The Perseids will be seen best a few hours before dawn on August 11th.
Orionids
Peaks around October 20–21, 2021
