September Epsilon Perseid meteor shower in 2026
Peak night: The shower will peak on the night of September 9–10, 2026.
Best time to watch: The shower will be best viewed from midnight through dawn, when the radiant climbs high in the sky. September Epsilon Perseid activity increases as the night deepens and reaches its maximum just before dawn.
Activity period: The shower will be active from September 5 to September 21, 2026.
Radiant: The September Epsilon Perseids’ radiant rises in the late evening and reaches its highest point in the sky at dawn.
Moon phase during peak activity: In 2026, during the peak night, the moon will be in its slender waning crescent phase. As a result, you will have a moonless sky, providing ideal conditions for observing the September Epsilon Perseids.
Expected meteors during peak activity: Under ideal conditions—with a very dark sky and the radiant directly overhead—you can expect to see up to 5 meteors per hour.
Meteor velocity: September Epsilon Perseid meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere at about 64 km/s (230,400 km/h), which is very close to the maximum attainable velocity of 72 km/s, so they appear very swift.
Visibility across the globe: The shower will be favorable for observers in the Northern Hemisphere, especially those located in the mid-northern latitudes.
In mid-northern latitudes, such as New York City, the radiant reaches overhead at dawn.
The shower will be difficult to observe from the Southern Hemisphere, as the radiant never climbs much above the horizon.
Radiant of the September Epsilon Perseid meteor shower
On the peak night, if you trace the September Epsilon Perseid meteors backward, they appear to originate near the star Epsilon Persei in the constellation Perseus. Hence, the meteor shower is named after the star Epsilon Persei.
In September, the constellation Perseus will lie in the eastern sky during the pre-dawn hours. It will appear above Capella, the sixth brightest star in the night sky.
Parent of the September Epsilon Perseid meteor shower
Unlike the famous Perseids in August—which originate from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle—the September Epsilon Perseids are a completely different meteor shower whose parent body has not been firmly identified.
Astronomers believe that the parent body of the September Epsilon Perseid meteor shower is an unknown long-period comet with an orbital period of the order of a thousand years.
The Perseids and the September Epsilon Perseids have similar names because both meteor showers appear to originate from the constellation Perseus.
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