Meteor Activity Outlook for May 16-22, 2026

Kees Zwaan captured this multi-flaring Northern Taurid fireball on November 12, 2025, at 22:31 CET (21:31 UT) from Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands. The three bright stars to the right of the fireball are eta, zeta, and epsilon Ursae Majoris, also known as the “handle” of the Big Dipper. © Kees Zwaan

During this period the moon will reach its new phase on Saturday May 16th. At that time the moon will lie near the sun and will be invisible at night. As the week progresses, the moon will enter the evening sky but will be a thin waxing crescent and will not interfere with meteor observing as long as you keep it out of your field of view.

This weekend evening observers can expect total hourly rates of 3 from mid-northern latitudes (45°N) and near 4 from tropical southern locations (25°S). Morning observers may see rates near 9 from mid-northern latitudes and near 15 from tropical southern locations.

The actual rates observed will also depend on factors such as personal light and motion perception, local weather conditions, alertness, and experience in watching meteor activity. Note that the hourly rates listed below are estimates based on observations 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 from which meteors appear to originate) positions and rates listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning, May 16/17. These positions do not change greatly from day to day, so the listed coordinates may be used throughout this entire period. Most star atlases (available online, in bookstores, and at planetariums) include maps with celestial coordinate grids that can help you locate these positions in the sky.

I have also included charts of the sky that display the radiant positions for evening, midnight, and morning. The center of each chart represents the sky directly overhead at the corresponding hour. These charts are oriented towards facing south but can be used for any direction by rotating them accordingly. A planisphere or planetarium app is also useful for 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 (culmination), either due north or south along the meridian, depending on your latitude. Radiants that rise after midnight will not reach their highest point until daylight; therefore, it is best to view them during the last few hours of the night.

It must be remembered that meteor activity is rarely seen directly at the radiant position. Rather, meteors shoot outward from the radiant, so it is best to center your field of view so that the radiant lies near the edge rather than the center. Viewing in this way allows you to trace the path of each meteor back to the radiant (if it belongs to a shower) or in another direction if it is sporadic. Meteor activity is not visible from radiants located far below the horizon.

The positions below are listed in west-to-east order by right ascension (celestial longitude). The positions listed first are located farther west and are therefore accessible earlier in the night, while those listed farther down the list rise later.

The following sources of meteoric activity are expected to be active this week:

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The center of the large Anthelion (ANT) radiant is currently located at 16:36 (249) -22. This position lies in northern Scorpius, 4 degrees north of the 1st magnitude orange star known as Antares (alpha Scorpii). This radiant is best placed near 01:00 local summer time LST, when it lies on the meridian is highest in the sky. Rates at this time should be less than 2 per hour as seen from the Northern Hemisphere and near 3 as seen from south of the equator. With an entry velocity of 30 km/sec, the average Anthelion meteor would be of slow velocity.

The eta Aquariids (ETA) are active from April 15 through May 27, with maximum activity expected on May 5. The radiant is currently located at 23:00 (345) +03. This position lies in western Pisces, 1 degree southwest of the faint star known as Fumalsamakah (beta Piscium). These meteors are not visible prior to 02:00 LST and are best seen just before the start of dawn when the radiant lies highest in the eastern sky. Hourly rates are expected to be near 1 as seen from the Northern Hemisphere and 2 as seen from south of the equator. With an entry velocity of 66 km/sec, these meteors are swift.

Sporadic meteors are those that cannot be associated with any known meteor shower. All meteor showers evolve and disperse over time until they are no longer recognizable. Away from the peaks of major annual showers, sporadic meteors make up the bulk of the activity seen each night.

As seen from the mid-northern hemisphere (45°N), one can expect to see approximately 6 sporadic meteors per hour during the last hour before dawn from rural observing sites. Evening rates would be near 2 per hour. From tropical southern latitudes (25°S), morning rates would be around 10 per hour and evening rates near 3 per hour.

The list below provides information in tabular form on active showers within reach of the visual observer. Hourly rates are often less than one, so these sources are rarely listed as visual targets in most meteor shower catalogs. If you wish to associate as many meteors as possible with known sources, you will appreciate these listings.

Before claiming to have observed meteors from these Class IV showers, determine whether they truly belong to them and are not chance alignments of sporadic meteors. Note parameters such as duration, length, radiant distance, and elevation to help compute the probability of shower association.

It should be remembered that slow meteors can appear in fast showers, but fast meteors cannot be produced by slow showers. Slower showers have velocities less than 35 km/sec. Slow meteors from fast showers usually occur close to the radiant or low in the sky.

The table on page 23 of the IMO’s 2026 Meteor Shower Calendar is a helpful tool for identifying meteors. If you record the length and duration of each meteor, you can use this chart to estimate the probability of shower association. If the angular velocity matches the table values, your meteor likely belongs to that shower.

Recognizing meteors from obscure showers is not for beginning observers—it takes many hours of practice to develop an instinct for what you are seeing. It is our hope that you will move beyond simply watching meteors as a celestial fireworks display and help expand our knowledge by classifying each meteor you observe.

Rates and positions in the table are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning May 16/17.

You can keep track of the activity of these meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal. You can move the sky globe to see different areas of the sky. Colored dots indicate shower meteors while white dots indicate sporadic (random) activity. The large orange disk indicates the position of the sun so little activity will be seen in that area of the sky.

Class Explanation: A scale to group meteor showers by their intensity:

• Class I: the strongest annual showers with Zenith Hourly Rates normally ten or better.
• Class II: reliable minor showers with ZHR’s normally two to ten.
• Class III: showers that do not provide annual activity. These showers are rarely active yet have the potential to produce a major display on occasion.
• Class IV: weak minor showers with ZHR’s rarely exceeding two. The study of these showers is best left to experienced observers who use plotting and angular velocity estimates to determine shower association. These weak showers are also good targets for video and photographic work. Observers with less experience are urged to limit their shower associations to showers with a rating of I to III.
  

Tags: Anthelion Meteors Eta Aquariids May Meteor Activity May Meteor Showers Meteors

Robert Lunsford

Bob has been interested in the stars as far back as he can recall His first experience with meteors was a biggie, the 1966 Leonid shower. In 1980, a major awaking occurred. He received a sample copy of Meteor News. He was amazed to learn there was a group actually devoted strictly to meteor observing! He joined the group also started to view some of the minor showers list among the pages of Meteor News. Lastly, he was contracted by Springer Publishing in 2007 to write a book on observing meteors. The book is now available and hopefully will be a useful guide to all interested in the enjoyable field of meteor observing.