Meteor Showers in 2027: The Best Showers to Watch and When
Astronomy · 6 min read · By Dario Seretin · Updated
Meteor showers are the easiest astronomy event to enjoy: no telescope, no app, just a dark sky and some patience. But not every shower is worth staying up for. What matters most is how bright the Moon will be on the peak night. This guide walks through the main showers of 2027 and which ones look promising.
What causes a meteor shower
A comet leaves a trail of dust and tiny grains along its orbit. When Earth crosses that trail, the grains hit the upper atmosphere at tens of kilometers per second and burn up, producing streaks of light. These are meteors; the difference between the terms is explained in our guide to asteroids, comets, meteors and meteorites. The grains are usually no bigger than sand, which is why almost nothing reaches the ground.
The streaks seem to radiate from one point in the sky, and the shower is named after the constellation that point lies in. The Perseids come from Perseus, the Geminids from Gemini. Some famous parents: the Perseids from comet Swift-Tuttle, the Orionids and Eta Aquariids from Halley's Comet, and the Geminids from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, an unusual case of a rocky object feeding a major shower.
How to read the numbers: ZHR and the Moon
Forecasts quote a ZHR, the zenithal hourly rate. It is the number of meteors one observer would see per hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. Real counts are almost always lower, often by half or more, because of light pollution, haze and a low radiant.
The Moon matters just as much. A bright Moon washes out the faint meteors, which are the majority. A shower with a ZHR of 100 under a full Moon can be less rewarding than a shower with a ZHR of 20 under a new Moon.
The 2027 calendar, shower by shower
Peak dates below are approximate, since sources differ by a day and the exact maximum can shift by hours. Moon figures are my own estimates of the lunar phase, so check the International Meteor Organization (IMO) calendar before you plan a trip.
Quadrantids, night of January 3 to 4. A short, sharp peak lasting only a few hours, with a ZHR of about 80 in the IMO list. The Moon is a thin waning crescent, roughly 15 to 20 percent lit, so skies should be fairly dark. Expect cold weather.
Lyrids, night of April 22 to 23. A modest shower, ZHR about 18. The Moon is just past full and bright, so this is a poor year for them.
Eta Aquariids, around May 5 to 6. ZHR of about 50, best seen from the tropics and southern hemisphere. The peak falls near new Moon, which makes 2027 a good year, especially before dawn.
Perseids, night of August 12 to 13. The most popular shower, with a ZHR of about 100. The Moon will be a waxing gibbous, around three quarters lit, but it should set after midnight, leaving the darker pre-dawn hours open.
Orionids, night of October 21 to 22. ZHR about 20, fast meteors from Halley's debris. The Moon is a little over half lit, so conditions are fair.
Leonids, night of November 17 to 18. About 15 per hour in a normal year. A bright gibbous Moon makes 2027 unfavorable.
Geminids, night of December 13 to 14. Usually the best shower of the year, with an IMO ZHR of about 150. In 2027 the peak falls very close to full Moon, so expect far fewer visible meteors than the headline number suggests. Some websites call the sky "moon-free"; my calculation says otherwise.
Ursids, night of December 22 to 23. A minor shower of roughly 10 per hour, with a moderate crescent Moon.
Best bets for 2027
If you only plan one night, the Perseids are the best compromise: warm summer weather in the northern hemisphere, plenty of meteors, and a Moon that leaves the late-night sky dark. The Eta Aquariids reward early risers near new Moon, and the Quadrantids are a bright-skies bonus for those who can handle the cold. The Geminids are still worth a look because they are rich in bright meteors, but expect fewer.
How to watch
Get away from lights. Even a rural spot beats a city by a wide margin.
Give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adapt, and avoid your phone screen.
Lie back and look at a wide area. You do not need to stare at the radiant; meteors appear anywhere, with longer trails further from it.
Dress warmer than you think and bring a blanket or reclining chair.
Watch after midnight. Your side of Earth then faces forward into the debris, so more meteors are usually seen before dawn.
Meteor showers are Earth passing through dust left by comets (and in one case an asteroid).
ZHR is an ideal-sky number; real counts are usually lower.
In 2027 the Moon favors the Quadrantids, Eta Aquariids and, after moonset, the Perseids, and hurts the Lyrids, Leonids and Geminids.
None of this has anything to do with Apophis, which is a single asteroid, not a shower. Its April 2029 flyby is a different kind of sky event; see how to watch it.
Sources and further reading
Facts in this article are drawn from public scientific sources. For primary information, see: