Time Your 2024 Stargazing Travels with the Next Meteor Showers in Ruidoso
If seeing stars, constellations, and the Milky Way in the sky is your idea of a perfect vacation, forgo the city in favor of the breathtaking grandeur of the Ruidoso nightscape. To make your stay more memorable, we have put together a list of our top recommended meteor shower dates for the year 2024.
Quadrantids | January 3–4, 2024
In the right conditions, the Quadrantids are one of the year’s best meteor showers, as they feature an average of 25 meteors per hour at their peak. The Quadrantids’ peak is relatively short, lasting from about midnight to dawn, but the volume of meteors makes the experience worthwhile.
In 2024, the Moon will be in the last quarter, obscuring the fainter meteors. Your best bet is to view after the Moon sets on the 4th of January, just before dawn.
Lyrids | April 21–22, 2024
The Lyrids peak on the night of April 21–22, 2024, when you can expect to see an average of 10 meteors per hour in dark, clear skies. Rarely, the Lyrids produce surges of up to 100 meteors per hour. This meteor shower is visible from both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere but is much more active in the Northern Hemisphere, where the meteors’ radiant is high in the sky.
In 2024, the Moon will be 98% full during the Lyrids’ peak, which will make the shooting stars more difficult to see. Try watching in the early morning pre-dawn hours after the Moon has set.
Eta Aquarids | May 4–5, 2024
The debris from Halley’s Comet creates the Eta Aquarids! This meteor shower is most spectacular in the Southern Hemisphere, where the meteor’s radiant is higher in the sky. Eta Aquarids are often seen closer to the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere.
In 2024, the Eta Aquarids will happen when the Moon is only 16% full, which will make for nearly optimal viewing conditions.
Delta Aquarids | July 29–30, 2024
The Delta Aquarids get their name from the constellation Aquarius, which they appear to emanate from. A weaker shower, the Delta Aquarids typically peak in late July and produce between 10 and 20 meteors per hour around this time. A truly dark sky offers the best chance of seeing the Delta Aquarids, as they tend not to be as bright as some of the other meteor showers.
In 2024, the crescent Moon (33% full) will obscure some of the fainter meteors but will still allow you to see some shooting stars.
Perseids | August 11–13, 2024
The Perseids are one of the best meteor showers to observe, with over 50 meteors per hour at its peak! Plus, we can all enjoy seasonable August nights.
In 2024, the Moon will be about 40% full. While this will obscure some of the fainter meteors, it will still be a beautiful summer show.
Draconids | October 8-9, 2024
The Draconids aren’t one of the bigger shows of the year, but they do mark the start of a busy season of meteor showers. After the Draconids, a shower happens every one to two weeks until late December.
The second quarter moon will darken the skies in the early evening for what should be a good show. The best viewing will be in the early evening from a dark location far away from city lights.
In 2023, the shower will peak when the Moon is 29% full, so moonlight will present minimal interference. The best time to watch the Draconids is early evening on October 8.
Orionids | October 21–22, 2024
The Orionids are named after one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky, Orion, from which these meteors appear to radiate. Often featuring some of the brightest and fastest streaking stars, the Orionids appear in mid-October and peak in the hours before dawn on October 22.
In 2024, the Orionids will be difficult to view. The Moon will be 77% full and will obscure much of the show.
Leonids | November 17–18, 2024
The Leonids is typically an average shower with 10 to 15 shooting stars per hour, but on rare occasions, they have been known to produce “meteor storms,” which result in thousands of meteors streaking across the sky. (We do not expect meteor storms this year.)
In 2024, the Moon will be 95% full, making viewing the Leonids very difficult due to the moonshine.
Geminids | December 13–14, 2024
The Geminids are THE biggest meteor shower of the year, and the shooting stars streak across the sky the entire night with 75 meteors per hour at its peak. Plus, it gets dark early, so you don’t have to stay up until the early hours to see the king of the meteor showers.
In 2023, the Geminids had optimal viewing conditions; however, in 2024, the conditions are MUCH different. The Geminids will occur during the Full Cold Moon, which will make them very difficult to view.
Source: https://www.almanac.com/content/meteor-shower-calendar
For more New Mexico stargazing.
The Land of Enchantment is home to seven International Dark Sky Parks as certified by the International Dark Sky Association.