Meteor showers in 2028: peak nights and moon conditions.
2028 is a good year for the two strongest showers. The Geminids peak on the night of December 13 to 14 with only a 5 percent crescent, and the Perseids on the night of August 11 to 12 with a last-quarter moon that rises around midnight. The Leonids fall on a new moon and the Lyrids on a thin crescent. The losers are the eta Aquariids and the Quadrantids, both under a bright moon. Every peak below is paired with the moon that night, because moonlight decides how many meteors you actually see.
A note on the times. The International Meteor Organization publishes its calendar about a year ahead, and the 2028 edition does not exist yet. The peak instants here are computed from the IMO's own solar-longitude value for each shower's maximum, the same method the IMO uses; tested against the published 2027 calendar it lands within 3 minutes on 7 of 8 showers. When the IMO 2028 calendar is out, its figures replace these lines, and the replacement is dated.
When is every meteor shower peak in 2028?
| Shower | Peak (UTC) | Rate (ZHR) | Moon at peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quadrantids | Tue, Jan 4, 09:34 | 80, can reach 200 | 51 percent, first quarter |
| Lyrids | Sat, Apr 22, 07:50 | 18 | 7 percent, waning crescent |
| eta Aquariids | Fri, May 5, 21:22 | 50 | 85 percent, waxing gibbous |
| Perseids | Sat, Aug 12, 14:21 | 110 or more | 56 percent, last quarter |
| Orionids | Sat, Oct 21, 06:44 | 20 | 11 percent, waxing crescent |
| Leonids | Fri, Nov 17, 12:06 | 15 | 1 percent, new |
| Geminids | Thu, Dec 14, 02:02 | 150 | 5 percent, waning crescent |
| Ursids | Fri, Dec 22, 10:28 | 10, occasionally 50 | 39 percent, waxing crescent |
ZHR is the zenithal hourly rate, the idealized count under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead. Real counts from a good dark site run about a third to a half of it.
When do the Geminids peak in 2028?
The night of December 13 to 14, with the computed maximum at 02:02 UTC on December 14. That instant favors Europe and Africa, where it falls in the early hours of the 14th, but the Geminid peak is broad enough that North America gets a strong show on the same night after midnight local time. The new moon falls on December 16, so the peak night has only a 5 percent waning crescent that rises just before dawn. Rates of 120 to 150 an hour under a dark sky are realistic in the hours after the radiant in Gemini climbs high, roughly 22:00 local time until first light. This is the best shower of 2028.
When do the Perseids peak in 2028?
The night of August 11 to 12, with the computed maximum at 14:21 UTC on August 12. That is daylight for Europe and the Americas, so the two nights on either side, August 11 to 12 and August 12 to 13, share the show. The Moon is at last quarter, 56 percent lit, rising around local midnight. The best window is the evening and the hours before moonrise, when the radiant in Perseus is climbing in the northeast, and the pre-dawn hours still work with the Moon washing out the fainter streaks. A fair year, not a great one.
When do the Quadrantids peak in 2028?
January 4 at 09:34 UTC by computation. The Quadrantid peak lasts only a few hours, so the timing matters more than for any other shower; that instant favors western North America and the Pacific in the pre-dawn hours. A first-quarter moon, 51 percent lit, sets around local midnight, so the post-midnight hours are dark. Rates can reach 80 to 120 an hour for those in the right place, but for most of the world 2028 is a miss.
Which 2028 showers does the moon spoil?
The eta Aquariids, peaking May 5 at 21:22 UTC under an 85 percent waxing gibbous moon that is up most of the night. This is the main shower of the southern-hemisphere autumn, debris from Halley's Comet, and in 2028 it is largely lost. Everything else is at least fair. The Lyrids on April 22 (7 percent crescent), the Orionids on October 21 (11 percent crescent), and the Leonids on November 17 (new moon) all get dark skies, though their rates are modest at 15 to 20 an hour.
How do you watch a meteor shower?
You need no equipment. Get to a dark site away from city light, give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adapt, lie back, and take in the whole sky rather than staring at one spot. Meteors can appear anywhere; the radiant is only where their trails point back to. The hours after local midnight are almost always better than the evening because your side of Earth is then facing into the stream. Check the Moon before you drive out with tonight's moon phase or the 2028 full moon calendar.
Quick answers.
What is the best meteor shower of 2028?
The Geminids on the night of December 13 to 14, with up to 150 meteors an hour under a dark sky and only a 5 percent crescent moon that rises near dawn.
Will the moon interfere with the 2028 Perseids?
Partly. A last-quarter moon rises around midnight on August 11 to 12, so the evening hours are dark and the pre-dawn hours have moonlight.
Are the 2028 meteor shower times official?
Not yet. They are computed from the IMO's solar-longitude values using the IMO's own method. The IMO 2028 calendar replaces them on publication, and the replacement is dated.