Meteor showers are back to dazzle Oregon skywatchers

Oregon’s spring and summer meteor shower season has arrived.

Five meteor showers are once again peaking between April and August this year, giving stargazers a few good chances to see shooting stars streaking across dark night skies.

When it comes to observation in Oregon, the spring and summer meteor showers are usually a bit more reliable than those in the fall season, which runs from September to December, overlapping with the cloudier months of the year. While Oregonians rarely get a look at the phenomenal Geminid meteor shower in mid-December, we typically have ideal conditions for the popular Perseid meteor shower in mid-August.

Each meteor shower is active for a month or more, reaching a peak somewhere in the middle of that timespan. A peak night means a better chance to see more meteors, but their visibility depends on several other factors, like cloud cover and moonlight, which can drown out the streaking fireballs.

If you want the best conditions for watching a meteor shower, you’ll want to find a place with dark, clear skies, like the newly created Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary. However, simply getting outside the city should allow you to see something.

Before you go, check the weather and phase of the moon. Also be sure you’re looking at the right part of the sky. Meteor showers are named for the constellation in which they appear. Once you’re out there, be patient and wait for a streak of light in the sky. Depending on the meteor shower, you may need to wait several minutes before you’ll see anything.

Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through debris from a comet or an asteroid. Melted and broken off by the heat of the sun, those pieces of space rock burn up when they enter Earth’s atmosphere, creating what’s colloquially known as a shooting star.

Here are the five meteor showers happening this season:

Lyrid Meteor Shower

Peak night: April 22-23

A medium-strength meteor shower, the Lyrids produce bright meteors that can produce nice fireballs. However, the shower’s peak this year coincides with a nearly full moon that will be up all night, spoiling much of the show. This year, the shower will be active until April 29.

Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower

Peak night: May 5-6

A medium-strength meteor shower in the Northern Hemisphere, the Eta aquarids typically produce rates of 10 to 30 meteors per hour just before dawn, running from April 15 to May 27. This year’s peak takes place under a waning crescent moon, which should rise just as the meteors begin streaking.

Delta Aquarid and Alpha Capricornid Meteor Showers

Peak night: July 30-31

Both considered weak meteor showers, the Delta Aquarids and Alpha Capricornids peak at the same time around the end of July, and both run roughly from mid-July to mid-August. A waning crescent moon during peak night should make this a good year to try to watch these low-grade events.

Perseid Meteor Shower

Peak night: Aug. 12-13

The popular Perseid meteor show will once again run from July 14 to Sept. 1, peaking Aug. 12-13. The strong event typically produces up to 100 meteors per hour, making it one of the strongest on the calendar. This year’s peak falls under a waxing half moon, which will set just before midnight. For truly dark skies, aim for the nights around the new moon Aug. 4.

--Jamie Hale covers travel and the outdoors and co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast. Reach him at 503-294-4077, jhale@oregonian.com or @HaleJamesB.

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