The moon will be full on Wednesday September 13. There will be several hours of dark skies available for observing this weekend but after that the moon will be in the sky most of the night. If your skies are clear I would suggest taking advantage of the mild temperatures. Before long the morning temperatures will be quite crisp announcing that winter (for Northern Hemisphere observers) is just around the corner. All positions listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning September 9/10. The positions do not change greatly day to day so these positions may be used during this entire period.

Sporadic meteor rates for the Northern Hemisphere are nearing their annual maximum. Under dark moonless skies just before dawn I would expect one would see 10-15 random meteors per hour from rural sites with little light pollution. This does not include the expected 6 or so meteors per hour from the apex sources so activity can be quite satisfying under truly dark skies this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Kappa Aquarids begin their activity period on September 8. This shower has been dropped from the active visual list of the IMO due to low activity. Studies by the Dutch Meteor Society during the 1980's reveals a zenith hourly rate of 2.7 at maximum activity for this radiant. Since maximum activity is still one week away the current hourly rate would be in the order of 1 shower member per night. The main reason this radiant is included is that it is a source of fireballs and a radiant position should be available to the potential observer. The very slow speed of these meteors makes them stand out from the others. The current radiant position is 22:04 (331) -08 (what does this mean?). This position is located in central Aquarius near the 4th magnitude star Theta Aquarii. This part of the sky culminates near midnight local daylight time. Any possible activity would be better observed next week as the shower reaches maximum activity and the moon passes full and begins to exit the evening sky.

The Antihelion radiant is now located at 00:08 (002) +01. This position is in sparse area of southwestern Pisces. Any meteor seen from western Pisces, southern Pegasus, northeastern Aquarius or even northwestern Cetus has a good chance of being associated with this source. This radiant is also known as the Southern Piscids with the I.M.O. designation "SPI". These meteors are slow and best seen near 0200, which unfortunately will be before moonset this week. Some activity may still be seen after moonset as the radiant sets toward the west. Rates would be low though, probably less than 1 shower member per hour.

The September Perseids are not well known, especially by this name. They are also known as the Delta Aurigids, but the radiant actually spends most of the month of September within the boundaries of Perseus. The activity period began on September 5 and the radiant is now located at 4:00 (060) +47. This position is close to the 4rd magnitude star 48 Persei. Like the Perseids, the September version has fast meteors, often with persistent trains. It will reach maximum activity Friday September 8, so I would expect 3-4 meteors per hour from this source. This shower, as well as all of the remaining showers on this week's list, are best seen during the last hour before morning twilight.

The Northern Apex radiant is now located at 05:08 (077) +38. This position is lies in southwestern Auriga and is quite close to the September Perseid radiant. Care must be taken when assigning shower associations between these two sources. Any swift meteor from Auriga, southern Perseus, or northern Taurus is a possible candidate for the Northern Apex. Rates could be as high as 4 per hour during the last hour before dawn when the radiant lies high in the eastern sky for observers in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Southern Apex radiant lies exactly 30 degrees south of its northern counterpart at 05:08 (077) +08. This position is located just 3 degrees northwest of the second magnitude star Bellatrix, also known as Gamma Orionis. The center of this radiant passes only 1 degree north of this bright star on September 14. Like its northern counterpart this radiant is diffuse and the actual radiant can include all of Orion, southern Taurus, and northeastern Eridanus. As seen from the Northern Hemisphere, this radiant lies lower in the sky so rates would be slightly weaker when compared to its northern counterpart. Just the opposite would be true in the Southern Hemisphere where the southern apex would always be the stronger source of activity.

This is also the time of year when we watch for possible activity from the regions of Aries and Triangulum. Some activity from this region may be seen this weekend but the moon greatly interferes then and with the predicted maximum on September 12. If you are observing this weekend keep an eye out for any activity centered near 02:00 (030) +29.