Meteor Shower Screensaver
The Meteor Shower screensaver counts down to the next major shower's peak and rains shooting stars from the radiant at the shower's expected rate, from a built-in calendar. It's computed on your device, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
How the Meteor Shower screensaver works
The saver holds a calendar of the year's major meteor showers — the Perseids, Geminids, Quadrantids and more — with each one's peak date and expected rate.
It works out the next shower to peak and counts down to it in days, hours, minutes and seconds.
Shooting stars streak from the shower's radiant across a starfield, and the spawn rate rises as the peak approaches.
Everything is computed locally, so it needs no connection.
A worked example
In early August it counts down to the Perseids — up to 100 meteors an hour — streaks flying from a radiant high in Perseus, the rain thickening as the peak date closes in over the next few days.
Settings & tips
- Mark the radiant toggles the radiant crosshair.
- Background sets the night-sky backdrop.
- Meteors fall faster as the shower's peak nears.
Frequently asked questions
- Are the shower dates real?
- Yes. They come from the established annual meteor-shower calendar, so each peak date and rate is accurate.
- What is ZHR?
- Zenithal Hourly Rate — the number of meteors an ideal observer would see per hour at the peak under dark skies.
- What is the radiant?
- The point in the sky the meteors appear to stream from — each shower is named for the constellation its radiant sits in.
- Does it need a connection?
- No. The calendar and the falling stars are computed on your device, so it runs fully offline.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, no key, in your browser.