American Meteor Society
Updated: Perseid Meteor Outburst on August 14, 2021
On the morning of August 14, 2021, the Perseid meteor shower displayed an unexpected outburst of meteors between 06:00 and 09:00 Universal Time (1:00-4:00am CDT).
Archive: Meteor Showers
Meteor Activity Outlook for August 14-20, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Sunday August 15th. At that time the moon lies 90 degrees east of the sun and sets near 23:00 local daylight saving time (on Aug. 14). As the week progresses the waxing gibbous moon sets later and later, diminishing the available time of dark sky with each passing night.
Meteor Activity Outlook for August 7-13, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its new phase on Sunday August 8th. At that time the moon lies near the sun and is invisible at night. As the week progresses the waxing crescent moon enters the evening sky but will set before the more active morning hours arrive.
Meteor Activity Outlook for July 31-August 6, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Saturday July 31st. At that time the moon lies 90 degrees west of the sun and rises near midnight local daylight saving time (on August 1st). As the week progresses the waning crescent moon rises later each morning, allowing a better view of the active morning sky as glare from the moon subsides.
Meteor Activity Outlook for July 24-30, 2021
During this period, the moon phase wanes from 100 percent illuminated down to nearly one-half illuminated. This weekend the moon lies opposite the sun and is above the horizon all night long. As the week progresses the waning gibbous moon rises later each night, allowing early evening observing under dark skies later next week.
Viewing the Perseid Meteor Shower in 2021
The Perseids are often the most impressive Meteor Shower of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. The Perseid meteor shower offers a consistently high rate of meteors every year and it occurs in August when the temperatures are usually nice enough for a night under the stars!
Meteor Activity Outlook for July 17-23, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Saturday July 17th. At this time the moon lies near 90 degrees east of the sun and sets near midnight local daylight saving time (LDST). As the week progresses the waxing gibbous moon enters the morning sky and will begin to interfere with morning meteor observing. By the end of the week the nearly full moon will be in the sky nearly all night long making meteor observing difficult at best.
Meteor Activity Outlook for July 10-16, 2021
This long fireball was captured by Han Wang at 14:41 UT (22:41 CST) on June 12, 2021, from Chengde, China. Han…
Meteor Activity Outlook for July 3-9, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its new phase on Friday July 9th. At that time the moon is located near the sun and is invisible at night. This weekend a bright crescent moon will illuminate the morning sky. Successful meteor watches can still be held at this time as long as you keep the moon well out of your field of view. As the week progresses the moon becomes thinner and less of a problem until it disappears entirely into the morning twilight late in the period.
Meteor Activity Outlook for June 26-July 2, 2021
Scott Roberts captured this impressive fireball through clouds at 04:28 UT (22:23 MDT on May 27) on May 28, 2021,…
Meteor Activity Outlook for June 19-25, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its full phase on Thursday June 24th. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours allowing a few hours of viewing meteor activity under a dark sky between moon set and dawn. This window of opportunity shrinks with each passing night and by midweek the time of moon set and dawn will be simultaneous.
Meteor Activity Outlook for June 12-18, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Friday June 18th. At that time the half-illuminated moon will set near 01:00 local daylight time (LDST), allowing the more active morning hours to be free of interfering moonlight.
Meteor Activity Outlook for June 5-11, 2021
David Young captured this nice flaring meteor at 11:39 UT (4:39 PDT) on April 29, 2021, from Fremont, California, USA.…
Meteor Activity Outlook for May 29-June 4, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Wednesday June 2nd. On this date the moon is located 90 degrees west of the sun and rises near 02:00 local daylight saving time (LDST). This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the early evening hours and will create difficult conditions for view meteor activity the remainder of the night.
Meteor Activity Outlook for May 22-28, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its full phase on Wednesday May 26th. On this date the moon is located opposite the sun and remains above the horizon all night long. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours, leaving a small opportunity to view in dark conditions between moon set and morning twilight.
Meteor Activity Outlook for May 15-21, 2021
During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Wednesday May 19th. On this date the half-illuminated moon is located 90 degrees east of the sun and sets near 2:00 local daylight saving time (LDST). This weekend the waxing crescent moon will set during the early evening hours and will not interfere with meteor observing.
Meteor Activity Outlook for May 8-14, 2021
During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Tuesday May 11th. On this date the moon is located near the sun and is invisible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will rise during the early morning hours but will not interfere with meteor observing as it will be too thin and only in the sky an hour or two prior to sunrise.
Viewing the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower in 2021
In 2020, the full moon coincided with the shower's maximum and the display was muted. This year, conditions are better as the much less bright waning crescent moon will be located 10 degrees south of the radiant at maximum activity.
Meteor Activity Outlook for May 1-7, 2021
During this period the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Monday May 3rd. On this date the moon is located 90 degrees west of the sun and rises near 2:00 local daylight saving time (LDST). This weekend the waning gibbous moon will rise during the early morning hours and will spoil any observing attempts once it has risen. As the moon reaches its last quarter phase, the glare will not be so bad and successful meteor observations can be conducted if you keep the moon out of your field of view.
Meteor Activity Outlook for April 24-30, 2021
During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Tuesday April 26th. On this date the moon is located opposite the sun and remains above the horizon all night long. During this entire period the moon remains above the horizon while the sky is dark, severely limiting the opportunity to view meteor activity.
Viewing the Lyrids in 2021
The normal Lyrid display, seen under moonless conditions, usually offers a peak of around 10 meteors per hour in addition to the normal random meteor rate of about 5 per hour.