Alpha Centaurids: See Up to 16 Meteors Per Hour

Govind Tekale

Alpha Centaurids meteor shower continues through February 20, offering rare celestial views after its February 8-9 peak.

Photo Source: Dai Jianfeng/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)

Southern hemisphere sky watchers can spot up to 16 meteors per hour, while northern viewers catch about 8 meteors hourly.

Photo Source: SaltedSturgeon (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Full moon on February 12 creates bright skies, making meteor viewing challenging until moonset before dawn.

Photo Source: Alex Fu (Pexels)

Alpha Centaurids zoom through Earth's atmosphere at 59 kilometers per second, creating bright, fast-moving streaks.

Photo Source: John Flannery (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Viewers north of 30 degrees latitude cannot see this shower as Earth's curve blocks the southern sky view.

Photo Source: Cburnett (CC BY-SA 3.0)

February Hydrids, active until February 17, move slowly at 16 kilometers per second, adding variety to night sky displays.

Photo Source: Slworking2 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Anthelion meteors contribute steady rates of 1-2 per hour, while random sporadic meteors add 6-10 hourly displays before dawn.

Photo Source: Jeff Sullivan (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Dark locations away from city lights, plus 30 minutes of eye adjustment time, boost chances of seeing these space particles burn up.

Photo Source: Jeremy Stanley (CC BY 2.0)

Current meteor rates need verification through southern hemisphere video data, according to International Meteor Organization expert Robert Lunsford.

Photo Source: Jeff Sullivan (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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