Posted on 01/01/2020 by David
The Snowdonia National Park is just one of 15 International Dark Sky Reserves in the world, making it a great place to watch meteor showers and other fabulous celestial events.
You don't even need telescopes or binoculars. In fact, watching meteor showers is best with the naked eye, as you need patience and a wide field of vision to see these magical streaks of light.
In this blog we featured some of the best places in Snowdonia to enjoy dark skies in all their glory. Note, too, that the Clwydian Hills and particularly the vast expanse of the Denbigh Moors are also great places to find dark skies.
If you've already booked to stay with us in 2020, chances are your stay may coincide with a meteor shower, as our "shower diary" here could reveal.
If you haven't yet booked and fancy seeing a meteor shower in truly dark skies, read on and pick your dates!
January 3, 4 - Quadrantids meteor shower
How good is it? Up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak.
Where do they come from? An extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, which was discovered in 2003.
When does it peak? The night of the 3rd and morning of the 4th.
Best viewing: From a dark location after midnight.
Where to look: Meteors will radiate from the constellation Bootes, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
April 22, 23 - Lyrids meteor shower
How good is it? Produces about 20 meteors per hour at its peak.
Where do they come from? Dust particles left behind by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861.
When does it peak? The night of the 22nd and morning of the 23rd. A new moon will mean a dark sky, good for viewing.
Best viewing: Dark location after midnight.
Where to look: Meteors will radiate from the constellation Lyra, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
May 6, 7 - Eta Aquarids meteor shower
How good is it? Can produce up to 30 meteors per hour at its height.
Where do they come from? Particles left over by the most famous comet of them all, Halley's.
When does it peak? The night of May 6 and the morning of May 7.
Best viewing: Dark location after midnight, but a full moon may blur out all but the brightest.
Where to look: Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
July 28, 29 - Delta Aquarids meteor shower
How good is it? Produces up to 20 meteors at its peak.
Where do they come from? From debris left over by two comets, Marsden and Kracht.
When does it peak? The night of July 28 and morning of July 29.
Best viewing: Dark location after midnight, but a second quarter moon will make fainter meteors hard to see.
Where to look: Look towards the constellation Aquarius, but keep your eyes peeled elsewhere too.
August 12, 13 - Perseids meteor shower
How good is it? One of the best, with up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak.
Where do they come from? They are produced by the Swift-Tuttle comet, discovered in 1862.
When does it peak? The night of August 12 and the morning of August 13.
Best viewing: The second quarter moon will spoil the party a little, but it should still be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight.
Where to look: Just look up - they're seen across the sky! They radiate from the constellation Perseus.
October 7 - Draconids meteor shower
How good is it? Produces only about 10 meteors per hour.
Where do they come from? Dust leftovers from the comet with the snappy name of 21P Giacobini-Zinner, discovered in 1900.
When does it peak? Night of the 7th.
Best viewing: In the early evening, rather than early morning.
Where to look: Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
October 21, 22 - Orionids meteor shower
How good is it? Produces up to 20 meteors per hour.
Where do they come from? It's a second gift of the year from Halley's Comet.
When does it peak? On the night of October 21 and the morning of October 22
Best viewing: Dark location after midnight, once the waxing crescent moon has set.
Where to look: Meteors radiate from Orion, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
November 4, 5 - Taurids meteor shower
How good is it? Produces between 5-10 meteors per hour.
Where do they come from? The Taurids are actually two streams, one from asteroid 2004 TG10 and the second from comet 2P Encke.
When does it peak? The night of November 4th.
Best viewing: After midnight in a dark spot. The first quarter moon will block out all but the brightest meteors this year.
Where to look: Towards the constellation Taurus, but meteors can appear anywhere in the sky.
November 17, 18 - Leonids meteor shower
How good is it? Produces up to 15 meteors per hour at its peak. Every 33 years the Leonids produce a cyclic peak of hundreds per hour, but the next such peak is not until 2034.
Where do they come from? The Leonids are produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tempel-Tuttle, discovered in 1865.
When does it peak? On the night of the 17th and morning of the 18th. An early setting moon should mean a good show.
Best viewing: A dark location after midnight.
Where to look: The constellation Leo, predominantly.
December 13, 14 - Geminids meteor shower
How good is it? Another celestial highlight, producing up to 120 multicoloured meteors per hour at its best.
Where do they come from? It is produced by particles and debris left behind by an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon, which was only discovered in 1982.
When does it peak? Night of the 13th and morning of the 14th, though the morning of the 15th could also be a good bet.
Best viewing: Dark location after midnight.
Where to look: Meteors radiate from the constellation Gemini (hence their name) but can appear anywhere in the sky.
December 21, 22 - Ursids meteor shower
How good is it? Produces between 5 and 10 meteors per hour.
Where do they come from? The comet Tuttle, first discovered in 1790, produces the Ursids.
When does it peak? The night of the 21st and morning of the 22nd. The first quarter moon should set just after midnight leaving dark skies for what could be a good show.
Best viewing: Just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights.
Where to look: Meteors will radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
Also look out for...
January 10 and June 5 - Penumbral lunar eclipse
This happens when the Moon passes through the Earth's partial shadow, known as penumbra. During this type of eclipse the Moon will darken slightly, but not completely.
December 21 - Rare conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
It's been 19 years since the last so-called "great conjunction", so this is one worth looking out for. These two bright planets will appear only 7 arc minutes of each other in the night sky. In other words, they will be so close that they will appear to make a bright double planet. Look to the west just after sunset for this impressive and rare planetary pairing.