Meteor Showers · October 18, 2026
Epsilon Geminids activity peaks with a listed zenithal hourly rate of 3. Actual visible rates depend on sky darkness, radiant altitude, and local weather.
When it happens
Global reference time: October 18, 2026 at 17:51 UTC. Your local calendar date may differ.
The peak is not necessarily the best time to look from your location. Horizon, darkness, Moon position and weather determine the useful observing window.
What to expect
Visibility depends on the radiant’s height above your horizon, darkness, moonlight and weather. The global peak is not necessarily your best local observing time.
Any listed zenithal hourly rate assumes ideal observing conditions. Your visible count can be much lower; it is not a local forecast.
Make it local
See the best time to look and whether clouds might get in the way. Local weather is usually available up to 16 days ahead.
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Choose a place for your local sky outlook.
Understand the moment
Meteor showers happen as Earth encounters debris left along a comet’s or asteroid’s orbit. Small particles entering the atmosphere create the streaks we see; they are separate from the large planetary bodies in the explorer.
Try it in the astronomy lab
Compare the Moon’s illuminated fraction near the predicted shower peak. Less moonlight can help reveal faint meteors, but whether the Moon is above your local horizon matters too.
Opens . Each scene is an exact daily sample, without interpolation; it is separate from the catalog peak of 17:51 UTC.
How to read the scene: The lab does not model a debris stream, radiant, outburst or meteor count. Use the event’s source and local outlook for activity predictions and observing conditions.
A little context. A better view.
Showers are active over a range of dates. The catalog peak is a global prediction; a useful local viewing window also depends on darkness and how high the radiant is above your horizon.
A zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) describes ideal conditions with the radiant overhead and a dark sky. Clouds, light pollution, moonlight and a low radiant can greatly reduce visible counts. A listed rate is not a promise.
Find a dark location with an open view, allow about 20–30 minutes for your eyes to adjust, and look across a wide area of sky. A telescope is not necessary for visual meteor watching.
Daytime radio showers and provisional radiant reference dates are retained in the catalog for completeness. Their event pages explain when they are not ordinary naked-eye observing opportunities.
Learn more: NASA’s meteor-watching advice
September Epsilon Perseids activity peaks with a listed zenithal hourly rate of 8. Actual visible rates depend on sky darkness, radiant altitude, and local weather.
September Lyncids activity peaks with a listed zenithal hourly rate of 3. Actual visible rates depend on sky darkness, radiant altitude, and local weather.
A daytime shower included for radio observation; it is not a normal naked-eye event.
October Camelopardalids activity peaks with a listed zenithal hourly rate of 5. Actual visible rates depend on sky darkness, radiant altitude, and local weather.
Take the sky with you
Open the astronomy calendar in Forecast Bar to explore events alongside your local weather and astronomy alert settings.
