Astro-Observer

Meteor showers

Aurigid Meteor Shower

By Astro-Observer · Last reviewed November 8, 2026

Active
August 28 – September 5
Peak
Around August 31 – September 1
Peak rate (ZHR)
6 (30 to 130 in rare outbursts)
Radiant
Auriga (6h 04m, +39°)
Speed
66 km/s (fast)
Parent comet
C/1911 N1 (Kiess)
Best seen from
Northern Hemisphere
Best time
After about 1 a.m., best in the hours before dawn

Next peaks

Expected peak (UTC)Moon at peakMoonlight
September 1, 2027, around 15h New Moon, 1% lit Little or none
August 31, 2028, around 21h Waxing gibbous, 92% lit Bright Moon

Computed from the shower's peak solar longitude (λ☉ 158.6°). Real peaks can come a few hours early or late, and you will see meteors on the nights either side. The peak hour may be in daylight where you are; watch the darkest hours of the nearest night.

The Aurigids are a small, week-long shower at the turn of August and September. Most years bring only a handful of fast meteors an hour, but now and then the shower flares up briefly with many bright meteors.

Where the meteors come from

The Aurigids come from Comet C/1911 N1 (Kiess), which takes about 2,000 years to orbit the Sun and leaves narrow trails of dust. Most years Earth meets only thin material, but crossing the core of a trail shed on the comet's previous pass brings a short outburst.

When to watch

The shower is active from August 28 to September 5 and peaks around September 1. See the table above for the expected peak time and moonlight. The radiant rises in the northeast late in the evening but reaches a useful height only after about 1 a.m., so the last hours before dawn are best.

How to find the radiant

The radiant is in Auriga, a lopsided pentagon of stars led by bright Capella, which rises in the northeast in the late evening. The radiant lies on the pentagon's eastern side, between the stars Menkalinan and Theta Aurigae, about 11 degrees (a fist at arm's length) southeast of Capella.

What to expect

The usual ZHR is about 6. With the radiant 40 to 50 degrees up before dawn, expect 2 to 4 Aurigids an hour from a dark site and about one from the suburbs. They are fast, some leave brief trains, and the population index of 2.5 means an average mix of bright and faint. Outbursts bring more bright meteors but are brief.

Viewing tips

  • Set an alarm for about 2 a.m. rather than starting at dusk.
  • Bring a blanket or reclining chair; late-summer nights are often dewy.
  • Look about halfway up in the east.
  • If IMO predicts an outburst, be outside well before the predicted time.

History and notable displays

An outburst seen from Potsdam and Prague in 1935 led to the link with Comet Kiess. Outbursts with peak ZHRs of about 30 to 50 followed in 1986, 1994 and 2019. The 2007 outburst was the first to be predicted. Watched from research aircraft by a team led by Peter Jenniskens, it peaked on September 1 close to the forecast time, with a ZHR of about 130 for some 20 minutes.

About the numbers. The ZHR (zenithal hourly rate) is how many meteors one observer would see in an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. Real counts are almost always lower: under suburban skies, or with the radiant low, expect a half to a quarter of it, or less.

Sources

Checked November 8, 2026.