If the recent solar eclipse has you itching for more astronomical events, you’re in luck: This fall is full of meteor showers, giving stargazers lots of opportunities to see action in the night sky.
Meteor showers are active, to some degree, throughout the season, from the end of September through the end of December. The first fall meteors, the Orionids, peak toward the end of October, while the last, the Ursids, peak on the Winter Solstice.
Each event is typically active for a month or more, reaching a peak somewhere in the middle of that timespan. A peak night means a better chance to see more meteors, but their visibility depends on several other factors, such as cloud cover and moonlight, which can drown out the streaking fireballs.
If you truly want to watch a meteor shower this fall, you’ll want to find a place with dark, clear skies. In Oregon, that usually means the high desert east of the Cascade Mountains, though there’s no guarantee conditions will be right this time of year.
Before you go, check the weather and phase of the moon. Also be sure you’re looking at the right part of the sky – meteor showers are named for the constellation in which they appear. Be patient and wait for a streak of light in the sky. Depending on the meteor shower, you may need to wait several minutes before seeing anything.
Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through debris from a comet or an asteroid. Melted and broken off by the heat of the sun, those pieces of space rock burn up when they enter Earth’s atmosphere, creating what’s colloquially known as a shooting star.
Here are the remaining meteor showers for 2023, according to the American Meteor Society:
ORIONIDS
Oct. 20-21 peak
The Orionids have the potential to be a strong shower, on par with the Perseids, but recent years have been underwhelming. In a normal year, the meteor shower produces about 10 to 20 meteors per hour. This year’s peak comes under a waxing crescent moon the night of Oct. 20-21. The full event runs nearly two months from Sept. 26 to Nov. 22.
TAURIDS
Nov. 5-6 and 11-12 peak
The Southern Taurids and Northern Taurids are twin showers that last throughout the season. Neither is particularly strong, though the northern branch is known to see an increased production every few years. Look for the Southern Taurids to peak Nov. 5-6 under a waning half-moon, with the Northern Taurids peaking the next week from Nov. 11 to 12 during an early setting crescent moon.
LEONIDS
Nov. 17-18 peak
Don’t expect much from the Leonids, debris from the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which will not return until 2031. Furthermore, the Earth isn’t expected to encounter any dense debris fields until 2099, according to the American Meteor Society. Still, every year there’s a chance to see some fireballs from the shower, which are known to be especially bright.
GEMINIDS
Dec. 13-14 peak
The Geminids are considered the strongest meteor shower of the year – they just happen to come at a tough season to do stargazing. If skies are clear in Oregon, this should be a good year to see the meteors, which are expected to peak around the new moon on Dec. 13. The whole event will run from Nov. 19 to Dec. 24 and is expected to produce a large number of bright, intensely colored fireballs.
URSIDS
Dec. 21-22
A medium-strength meteor shower, the Ursids are short lived, running from Dec. 13 to 24, peaking around the Winter Solstice on Dec. 21. That schedule coincides with a late-setting gibbous moon this year, which means the meteors might be difficult to see.
