Rare Chi Cygnids are active! Maybe. Observing info here

Chi Cygnids are a pleasant September surprise

A recently discovered meteor shower has been showing increased activity this week. And it might become even more active during the next few nights, with a peak – or maximum activity – around September 13 to 15, 2025.

The Chi Cygnid meteor shower is named after its apparent radiant near the star Chi Cygni in Cygnus the Swan. The star Chi Cygni is a variable double star not far from the bright star Vega in Lyra the Harp.

Peter Jenniskens, an astronomer from NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute, discovered this meteor shower. Some meteor cameras have detected good activity from it over the last week. And, based on previous observations, this meteor shower appears to increase in activity about every five years. It has shown increased activity in 2010, 2015, 2020 and now in 2025. So will the cycle hold? Will we see more meteors from this shower in the coming nights? Meteor showers are always inherently unpredictable. But there’s a good chance!

The unusual Chi Cygnids

Annual meteor showers generally occur every year as Earth – as part of its orbit around the sun – intercepts debris in paths left by a comet or sometimes an asteroid. But the parent body for the Chi Cygnids isn’t known for certain.

The return of the Chi Cygnids every five years suggests it might be from particles left by an unknown Jupiter-family comet. And the location of the related debris in our solar system might slightly change or move thanks to the gravitational influence of Jupiter.

Many of the best known or famous meteor showers require that you observe late in the night. But the Chi Cygnids’ radiant is high in the sky – close to the zenith – as soon as it gets dark. So it’s an early evening meteor shower! Get out there as soon as it gets dark.

The Chi Cygnid aren’t known as the brightest meteors. But they do catch the eye because the meteors are quite slow. They have an estimated speed of just 15 km per second (33,500 mph), which is slow compared to most shower meteors. Compare them to the Perseids, which zip through the air at about 60 km per second (133,000 mph). Their slow speed makes them easier for you to spot, and enjoy. Just be sure to observe from a dark locate. Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze here.

This video shows some Chi Cygnid meteors from September 4, 2025, in Puerto Rico. See how slowly they move across the sky? Lots of fun to watch! Video via Astronomical Society of the Caribbean.

What to expect from the Chi Cygnids

As recently as September 4, 2025, cameras belonging to the Astronomical Society of the Caribbean detected a few slow-moving Chi Cygnid meteors from Puerto Rico. At least, they appeared to radiate from the constellation Cygnus, so we believe they were Chi Cygnids.

On the night of September 13 to 14, the 51%-illuminated moon will rise just before midnight. Meanwhile, on the night of September 14 to 15, the waning moon will be around 40% illuminated and will rise shortly after midnight.

This means the sky will be dark in the early evening, enhancing the probability of seeing a few meteors. This is especially true for dark locations away from light-polluted skies.

During the 2020 return of this shower, low-light cameras detected 449 meteors identified as likely shower members. This doesn’t guarantee we’ll see hundreds this year, but we can try to catch some of these episodic meteors.

Where should you look to see this strange meteor shower?

As with any meteor shower, you don’t have to look at its radiant, because meteors can appear in any area of the sky. Just remember, these meteors are radiating from Cygnus, which is high in the sky in the evening this month. So it’s best not to look for meteors while standing up. Instead, observe from a reclining chair or from a blanket on the ground. Lie back! Relax! And look casually overhead for the meteors. Taking a relaxed pose like this will let you cover more area of the sky, increasing your probability of seeing some meteors.

Turn off exterior lights if observing from your backyard. The darker the location, the higher the probability that you might glimpse the meteors. Good luck!

Bottom line: The Chi Cygnids is a strange meteor shower that is more active every five years, and 2025 is one of those years. Observing info here.

Via SETI Institute