American Meteor Society
During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Monday March 9th. At this time the moon is positioned opposite the sun and will lie above the horizon all night long. Successful meteor observing can be attempted this weekend during the short period between moon set and dawn. The remainder of the week the moon will interfere with meteor observing all night long. The estimated total hourly meteor rates for evening observers this week is near 2 for those viewing from the northern hemisphere and 3 for those located south of the equator. For morning observers, the estimated total hourly rates should be near 3 as seen from mid-northern latitudes (45N) and 5 as seen from tropical southern locations (25S). The actual rates will also depend on factors such as personal light and motion perception, local weather conditions, alertness and experience in watching meteor activity. Rates are reduced during this period due to moonlight. Note that the hourly rates listed below are estimates as viewed 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 where meteors appear to shoot from) positions and rates listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning March 7/8. These positions do not change greatly day to day so the listed coordinates may be used during this entire period. Most star atlases (available at science stores and planetariums) will provide maps with grid lines of the celestial coordinates so that you may find out exactly where these positions are located in the sky. A planisphere or computer planetarium program is also useful in 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, either due north or south along the meridian, depending on your latitude. It must be remembered that meteor activity is rarely seen at the radiant position. Rather they shoot outwards from the radiant, so it is best to center your field of view so that the radiant lies at the edge and not the center. Viewing there will allow you to easily trace the path of each meteor back to the radiant (if it is a shower member) or in another direction if it is a sporadic. Meteor activity is not seen from radiants that are located below the horizon. The positions below are listed in a west to east manner in order of right ascension (celestial longitude). The positions listed first are located further west therefore are accessible earlier in the night while those listed further down the list rise later in the night.
Radiant Positions at 21:00 Local Daylight Saving Time
Radiant Positions at 01:00 Local Daylight Saving Time
Radiant Positions at 05:00 Local Daylight Saving Time
These sources of meteoric activity are expected to be active this week.
Details of each source will continue next week when viewing conditions will be more favorable.
| SHOWER | DATE OF MAXIMUM ACTIVITY | CELESTIAL POSITION | ENTRY VELOCITY | CULMINATION | HOURLY RATE | CLASS |
| RA (RA in Deg.) DEC | Km/Sec | Local Daylight Saving Time | North-South | |||
| Anthelion (ANT) | – | 12:00 (180) +00 | 30 | 02:00 | 1 – 1 | II |
| xi Herculids (XHE) | Mar 10 | 16:36 (258) +48 | 35 | 07:00 | <1 – <1 | IV |
I am in Houston TX… which direction would I see this if @ all??
I definitely saw something across the sky for about 5 seconds at around midnight
It had a orange tail at irst but it broke up before it all disappeared
Just saw Meteorite Debris? Palm Bay FL 32909 Wednesday March 11 2020 approx. 8:10 pm. Other witnesses, Was fiery, burning, most significant natural thing I have ever seen in my 50 yrs. Was aMaZiNg !!
I saw something in the sky on Friday March 13 around 6pm above Westchester county ny
Near 6PM I saw a bright fireball that lasted about one second moving from South to North. I was heading Northeast on RT 476 near Plymouth Meeting PA
Im going to go out and look for some at 1:00am here is harriburg PA.
I saw it too! It was great one! Accompanied by a coule of other streaks to the south. Awesome display. Hunting for the report right now on the website, which is kindah hard to navigate.
On March 9 2020 (same as the full moon) I witnessed an amazing meteorite showers night in St Barthelemy in the Caribbean. Every 3 – 4 minutes there was a bright flash, starting around sunset, just above the water in the bay. No lightning? At first I thought people were taking photographs with flash cameras, but then I went to the beach to investigate and they were not. Got home around 9:30 pm and from my terrace I witnessed multiple meteorites falling as bright white streaks passing in front of the hill across from me…. almost reaching the ground. I bet those folks could hear pebbles hitting their roofs.