What is a Radiant Point?
A radiant point is a point in the sky from where a meteor shower or meteors appear to emerge. Radiant points are located in a constellation and thus the meteor showers are named after the name of the constellations in which the radiant point of a meteor shower is located.
Radiant Point of Meteor showers
Each meteor shower has a different radiant point. Here’s a list of the radiant points of all the meteor showers that are observed throughout the year starting from the Quadrantids in January to Ursids in December.
| Meteor Shower | Radiant Point |
| Quadrantids | Constellation Boötes, near the former constellation Quadrans Muralis |
| Alpha Centaurids | Constellation Centaurus, near the star Alpha Centauri |
| Lyrids | Constellation Lyra, near the star Vega |
| Eta Aquariids | Constellation Aquarius, near the star Eta Aquarii |
| Arietids | Constellation Aries |
| Southern Delta Aquariids | Constellation Aquarius, near the star Delta Aquarii |
| Alpha Capricornids | Constellation Capricornus |
| Perseids | Constellation Perseus |
| Aurigids | Constellation Auriga, near the star Capella |
| Draconids | Constellation Draco |
| Southern Taurids | Constellation Taurus, near the star Aldebaran |
| Orionids | Constellation Orion, near the star Betelgeuse |
| Northern Taurids | Constellation Taurus |
| Leonids | Constellation Leo, near the star Regulus |
| Ursids | Constellation Ursa Minor, near the star Kochab |
How to capture a meteor shower?
We all love to capture the lovely moments of our lives, and who wouldn’t like to capture the mesmerizing meteor shower? But this comes easy! Capturing a meteor shower requires precision, patience, planning, execution, and skills. However, one can capture a meteor during the peak days as the probability of getting a meteor in the frame becomes higher during the peak days. Here are a few things you can do to capture an amazing picture of your favorite meteor shower:
- Choose a location away from the city lights and obstacles such as trees and buildings.
- Prefer capturing a meteor shower during a low moon phase, as a high moon phase can dim the brightness of the meteors. Use a full moon calendar or a moon phase calendar to know the moon phases.
- Use a skymap in stargazing apps like Stellarium to track the radiant point.
- Use a DSLR camera with manual settings.
- Put your camera on a sturdy tripod and use a remote shutter release to avoid blurring your images.
- Don’t forget to have extra batteries for your camera and extra lenses to make sure your camera stays awake and captures the meteors.
- Take your essentials with you, such as water, and wear warm clothes, as most of the meteor showers are visible in the winter.
- Watch YouTube videos and utilize other resources to learn more about the camera settings, such as ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.
- One can also use a telescope with a camera adapter to capture a meteor with more details. Read our telescope guide to know more about the telescopes.
