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The Aurigid meteor shower will be active from August 28 to September 5, reaching its peak on September 1.
According to the Department of Astrophysics of the Faculty of Physics at Baku State University (BSU), the Aurigids are notable for their high-speed meteors and unusual origin. The meteor shower is associated with comet C/1911 N1 (Kiess), discovered in 1911 by American astronomer Carl Clarence Kiess. The comet belongs to the class of long-period comets and completes an orbit around the Sun approximately every 2,000–2,100 years.
As the comet approaches the Sun, dust and small rocky particles are released from its surface and spread along its orbit. Each year, the Earth passes through this stream of particles, causing meteors to appear in the atmosphere.
Aurigids enter the Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of approximately 66–67 km/s, producing bright but short-lived trails across the sky. Most burn up completely at altitudes of 70–100 km and do not reach the Earth’s surface.
The shower’s radiant—the apparent point from which the meteors seem to originate—is located in the constellation Auriga. Although the meteoroids travel through space in nearly parallel paths, their trajectories appear to converge at a single point when viewed from Earth.
The best time to observe the Aurigids from Baku will be the night of August 31 to September 1, particularly between midnight and dawn. On average, around five meteors per hour may be visible. However, moonlight during the 2026 peak may make observation more difficult, meaning that some fainter meteors will not be visible.
A telescope is not necessary to observe the meteor shower. For the best viewing experience, observers should watch the sky with the naked eye from an outdoor location away from city lights.
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