Fireballs reported in Michiana on Monday; 6 meteor showers to round out 2018

Early in the morning on Monday, September 24th there were reports of fireballs streaking across the sky in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, Canada. That includes Michiana reports from Goshen and Syracuse. These fireballs happen every day in large numbers. They are not always documented, though, because a majority of them occur over bodies of water and rural land. They are sometimes a part of meteor showers, which occur throughout the year. If watching a meteor shower is something you want to do, there are six more set to occur in 2018:

1. Orionids

• Active: September 23rd thru November 27th
• Peak: October 21-22
• Medium strength shower that can reach high strength
• 20-25 meteors per hour

2. Southern Taurids

• Active: September 23rd thru November 19th
• Peak: October 28-29
• Weak shower that is known for colorful fireballs and increased fireball reports from September thru November
• Up to 5 meteors per hour

3. Northern Taurids

• October 19th thru December 10th
• Peak: November 10-11
• Weak shower that can provide an increase in bright, colorful fireballs in late October and early November
• Up to 5 meteors per hour

4. Leonids

• November 5th thru November 30th
• Peak: November 17-18
• Weak to medium strength shower that is known for bright meteors with a high percentage of persistent trains
• About 15 meteors per hour

5. Geminids

• Active: December 4th thru December 16th
• Peak: December 13-14
• Major shower that is often the strongest of the year
• The one shower that provides great activity prior to midnight
• Often bright and intensely colored
• Upwards of 120 meteors per hour

6. Ursids

• Active: December 17th thru December 23rd
• Peak: December 21-22
• Weak shower that often gets overlooked due its proximity to Christmas and the Geminids
• 5-10 meteors per hour