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So you\u2019ve asked for some astronomy equipment, but you want to start stargazing straight away. Luckily, there will be three more meteor showers in 2021 that you can see with your naked eye.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s right, you don\u2019t need a telescope \u2013 in fact, you\u2019re better off without one \u2013 or a star map. All you need is to work out roughly where the shower will originate, lie back, and enjoy the show.<\/p>\n
Read on to find out when the next meteor shower will grace the skies above the UK. Or, check out the full Moon UK calendar<\/a> or read our guide to astronomy for beginners<\/a>.<\/p>\n A meteor shower is a stream of shooting stars that appears to come from one particular area of the sky.<\/p>\n As comets travel around the Sun, they leave a trail of debris behind. When these fragments, most of which are smaller than a grain of sand, enter the Earth\u2019s atmosphere, we call them meteors.<\/p>\n Meteors travel at incredibly high speeds and almost all of them completely disintegrate on their journey through the atmosphere. What we see is the flash of light they give off as they disintegrate.<\/p>\n A meteor shower is named for the area of the sky where the meteors appear to originate. For example, the Lyrids seem to come from the constellation of Lyra, and the Leonids from Leo.<\/p>\n The next meteor shower to grace the skies of the UK is the Geminids<\/strong>. The shower is expected to be visible between 3 and 16 December<\/strong>, with the peak on 14 November<\/strong>.<\/p>\n If you miss this shower, don\u2019t worry: you can catch the Ursids later this year. The dates of when you can see each shower, plus the peak and the number you can expect to see per hour, are below.<\/p>\n Visible:<\/strong> 3-16 December<\/p>\n Peak:<\/strong> 14 December<\/p>\n Rate\/hour: <\/strong>120<\/p>\n Visible:<\/strong> 17-26 December<\/p>\n Peak:<\/strong> 22-23 December<\/p>\n Rate\/hour:\u00a0<\/strong>10<\/p>\n Visible:<\/strong> 28 December 2021 to 12 January 2022<\/p>\n Peak:<\/strong> 3-4 January<\/p>\n Rate\/hour:<\/strong> 120<\/p>\n Visible:<\/strong> 13-29 April<\/p>\n Peak: <\/strong>22 April<\/p>\n Rate\/hour:<\/strong> 18<\/p>\nWhat is a meteor shower?<\/h2>\n
When is the next meteor shower in the UK?<\/h2>\n
Geminids<\/h3>\n
Ursids<\/h3>\n
Quadrantids<\/a><\/h3>\n
Lyrids<\/a><\/h3>\n
Eta Aquariids<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n