Aurigids meteor shower to peak as September begins

According to Star Walk, the shower is active from August 28 to September 5 and could produce up to six meteors per hour under ideal dark-sky conditions. However, observation conditions in 2026 will be challenging because the Moon will be about 80% illuminated at the peak, making many fainter meteors difficult to see.

The Aurigids are best observed from the Northern Hemisphere. Their radiant – the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to originate – is located in the constellation Auriga, which rises in the northeast. Observers in the Northern Hemisphere can start watching after about 1 a.m. local time, when the radiant climbs higher in the sky.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the radiant rises at about 3-4 a.m. and remains relatively close to the horizon, leaving only a few hours for observation before sunrise.

Skywatchers can improve their chances by finding a dark location, looking away from the Moon and using a tree or building to block the Moon’s direct light.

The parent body of the Aurigids is Comet C/1911 N1 (Kiess), a long-period comet that takes about 2,000 years to complete one orbit around the Sun. The shower is usually weak but has occasionally produced brief bursts of unusually high activity. Outbursts have been recorded in 1935, 1986, 1994, 2007 and 2019.

The Aurigids were identified in 1935 by C. Hoffmeister and A. Teichgraeber after an unusually active display. One of their strongest recorded outbursts occurred in 2007, when Earth passed through a dense dust trail left by the comet. An airborne observation campaign involving NASA Ames Research Center, the SETI Institute and scientists from several countries documented the outburst.

Although the 2026 Aurigids peak will be affected by moonlight, observers with clear skies may still spot some of the shower’s brighter meteors during the late-night and pre-dawn hours.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the annual Perseid meteor shower approached its peak on August 13.