You will see meteors on any starry night if you look for long enough. That's because the earth is always sweeping up small rocks and bits of dust that get burned up in the atmosphere. Meteors that seem to share a particular point of origin in the sky are often described collectively as a meteor shower. The shower is named for the constellation it seems to originate from.

Most meteor showers have been associated with comets. When the earth passes through a comet's trail, the atmosphere burns up dust the comet left behind. But these meteors don't appear all at once. They are spread out over a few hours, days, or weeks. When astronomers have sufficient information about a comet's past orbits (and therefore where its dust trails are), a peak meteor shower time can be predicted. For the most part, meteor showers observers must settle for knowing a peak day. But sometimes it's possible to know the peak hour.

There are and have been more meteor showers than those listed here. Some showers have such faint and infrequent meteors, only observers looking for a challenge are interested. Meteor showers go extinct as dust trails thin and orbits drift. There are also daytime meteor showers detectable only because they reflect radar and cause temporary disruptions to some communications systems.

Meteor showers for the rest of 2009

Draconids - October 9 The possible peak time is 17h. These meteors are infrequent and dim, and a recently full moon will spoil the view. The source is Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner.

Orionids - October 22 The thin crescent moon will set during the evening twilight before it has a chance to spoil this one. Up to 20 yellow and green meteors may be seen per hour. Some may be bright fireballs. The peak time is possibly 0h. Orion is a late evening and morning constellation this time of year. The parent is Comet 1P/Halley.

Leonids - November 17 Some scientists predict the earth will pass through a dust trail laid down in 1466. The possible peak time is 21:43h on the 17th. You could see hundreds of Leonids per hour during a really good peak. The moon is new and the skies will be dark all night this year. Leo is a morning constellation, so the best views will be after midnight. Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle is the parent.

Geminids - December 14 This is a multi-color meteor shower. Most of them are white, but you'll also see green, blue, red, and yellow. This is the only shower associated with an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon. The possible peak time is 2h. The thin crescent moon will rise in the morning twilight, so won't cause much inconvenience. How convenient then that Gemini is up all night.

Meteor showers for 2010

Quadrantids - January 3-4 They won't make a good show in 2010 because the moon is just past full. The parent comet is 2003 EH1, whose orbit is still being studied. Astronomer David Entwhistle issued a peak forecast of 19 hours on January 3 on the Society for Popular Astronomy's web site. Using the solar longitude provided by the International Meteor Organization, the peak would be 21 hours.

April Lyrids - April 21-23 The moon will be just past first quarter for this one. Astronomer David Entwhistle's predicted peak spans a few hours: 3-14 hours on April 22. The International Meteor Organization's published solar longitude for parent comet C/Thatcher would provide a peak at 10 hours on April 23.

Eta Aquarids - May 5-7 This could peak at 20 hours on May 7 according to the solar longitude of parent comet 1P/Halley. The moon will be at almost last quarter, allowing a view for part of the night.

June Lyrids - June 14-16 This is one of the lesser showers, but the waxing crescent moon won't interfere with it much. June 15 at 21 hours is the possible peak time. It's not known what comet trail provides the dust for this shower.

Capricornids - July 28-30 These meteors are also bright and yellow, making it possible to see a few of them despite the full moon. It's easy to confuse them with the Delta Aquarids mentioned above. But the Capricornids are a little slower and, of course, come from a different part of the sky. July 28 at 8 hours is the possible peak time. The parent comet is unknown.

Delta Aquarids - July 28-30 The full moon will wash out some of the yellow meteors, but maybe not all as many of them are bright. July 30 at 10 hours is the possible peak time this year. Which comet trail this shower comes from isn't known.

Perseids - August 12-13 The likely peak will be August 12 at 23 hours, during a new moon. There's about one meteor per minute. This could be a good introductory meteor shower in 2010. The parent comet is 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

Draconids - October 8-9 This one also happens during a new moon in 2010. It's a longer wait between meteors than with the Perseids, though. Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is the parent. The likely peak time is October 8 at 15 hours.

Orionids - October 21-22 These are somewhat infrequent, but noticeable because they are green and yellow. Some are especially bright. And they tend to be very fast. The moon will be full for them in 2010, however. So you may not be able to see as many as you'd see in some years. October 21 at 16 hours is the possible peak. Comet 1P/Halley is the parent.

Leonids - November 17-18 2010 isn't a forecast peak year for them. And the moon will be full. If you want to try your luck, the peak is possibly going to be November 18 at 17 hours. The parent comet is 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.

Geminids - December 13-14 The only meteor shower known to stem from an asteroid, the Geminids are also the most colorful shower. The peak on December 14 at 8 hours comes during a first quarter moon. So viewing would be best after about midnight. The asteroid they come from is 3200/Phaethon.