Astro-Observer

Meteor showers

Pi Puppid Meteor Shower

By Astro-Observer · Last reviewed November 8, 2026

Active
April 15 – April 28
Peak
Around April 23–24
Peak rate (ZHR)
Variable (up to about 40 in outburst years)
Radiant
Puppis (7h 20m, −45°)
Speed
18 km/s (slow)
Parent comet
26P/Grigg-Skjellerup
Best seen from
Southern Hemisphere
Best time
The evening hours, before the radiant sinks low around midnight

Next peaks

Expected peak (UTC)Moon at peakMoonlight
April 24, 2027, around 6h Waning gibbous, 89% lit Bright Moon
April 23, 2028, around 12h New Moon, 2% lit Little or none

Computed from the shower's peak solar longitude (λ☉ 33.5°). 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 Pi Puppids are an April shower for southern skies, best watched in the evening. Most years bring little, but in years when the parent comet is near the Sun, the shower has given short bursts of slow, bright meteors.

Where the meteors come from

The parent is Comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup, a small, weakly active comet that goes around the Sun about every 5.3 years. Close passes by Jupiter, most significantly one in 1964, have reshaped its orbit, and IMO describes the Pi Puppids as a young stream. The meteoroids meet Earth at just 18 km/s.

When to watch

The shower is active from about April 15 to 28, with a maximum around April 24. The table above shows the expected peak and the Moon. The radiant is highest at dusk and sets from many southern sites after about 1 a.m., so watch from the end of twilight until about midnight.

How to find the radiant

The radiant is in Puppis. Use Canopus, the brilliant star high in the southwest after dark in late April: the radiant is about 12 degrees to its northeast, a little more than a fist's width at arm's length. From about 35°S it is more than 60 degrees up at nightfall. From mid-northern latitudes (about 40°N) it sets before the sky is dark, so the shower cannot be seen there.

What to expect

In most years you may see only the odd Pi Puppid from a dark site, and probably none from the suburbs. In good years, near the comet's return, short maxima of about 40 meteors an hour have been recorded. The meteors are slow, at 18 km/s, and the low population index (r = 2.0) means many are bright.

Viewing tips

  • Go out early: the first hours after dark are best.
  • Face southwest, toward Canopus, and look about halfway up.
  • Watch on several evenings, since IMO warns that short maxima may have been missed.
  • Slow, bright meteors photograph well: try a wide-angle lens aimed near the radiant.

History and notable displays

Pi Puppid activity has only been detected since 1972. Short maxima of about 40 meteors an hour came in 1977 and 1982, both when the comet was near perihelion. John Grigg first saw the comet in New Zealand in 1902, and J. F. Skjellerup found it again in 1922.

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.