Mark Kirschner captured this multi-bursting fireball using his AllSky Camera System on November 1, 2025, at 20:29 EDT (00:29 UT on Nov 2) from North Branford, Connecticut, USA. © Mark Kirschner
Meteor activity picks up a bit during April as the Lyrids become active during the month. The Lyrids are active from the 15th through the 29th, with a pronounced maximum on the 22nd. Sporadic rates during April are steady as seen from both hemispheres with southern observers enjoying more activity than can be seen from the mid-Northern Hemisphere. The eta Aquariids will become active the second half of the month, adding a few swift meteors to the late morning scene.
During this period, the moon will reach its full phase on Thursday, April 2nd. At that time, it will lie opposite the sun and remain above the horizon all night. This weekend, the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning hours, allowing a brief window to view meteor activity under dark skies.
Evening observers this weekend can expect total hourly rates of 2 from mid-northern latitudes (45°N) and near 3 from tropical southern locations (25°S). Morning observers may see rates near 4 from mid-northern latitudes and near 9 from tropical southern locations. Evening rates are reduced due to moonlight.
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, March 28/29. 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 for 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 in the sky 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.
Radiant Positions at 21:00 Local Standard Time
Radiant Positions at Midnight Local Standard Time
Radiant Positions at 04:00 Local Summer Time
The following source of meteoric activity is expected to be active this week:
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The center of the large Anthelion (ANT) radiant is currently located at 13:24 (201) -09. This position lies in central Virgo, 2 degrees north of the 1st magnitude star known as Spica (alpha Virginis). This radiant is best placed near 0100 local standard time (LST), when it lies on the meridian and is located highest in the northern sky. Rates at this time should be near 1 meteor per hour no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 30 km/sec., the average Anthelion meteor would be of slow velocity.
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, these sporadic meteors make up the bulk of the activity seen each night.
As seen from the mid-Northern Hemisphere (45°N), one would expect to see approximately 4 sporadic meteors per hour during the last hour before dawn, from rural observing sites. Evening rates would be near 1 per hour. From tropical southern latitudes (25°S), morning rates would be around 7 per hour and 2 per hour during the evening. Evening rates are reduced due to moonlight.
The list below provides information in tabular form on the active showers that are within reach of the visual observer to discern.
Rates and positions in the table are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning March 28/29.
SHOWER
DATE OF MAXIMUM
CELESTIAL POSITION
ENTRY VELOCITY
CULMINATION
HOURLY RATE
CLASS
ACTIVITY
RA (RA in Deg.) DEC
Km/Sec
Local Summer Time
North-South
Anthelion (ANT)
–
13:24 (201) -09
30
02:00
1 – 1
II
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.