Kappa Cygnids, abbreviated KCG and IAU shower number 12, was an episodic meteor shower that took place from June to September, peaking around August 13, along with the larger Perseids meteor shower.[1] The radiant of the shower emerged from the antihelion source in late June and moves upwards to Cygnus in July. In early August, the radiant is just west of the star Vega and elongated in a north-south direction. [2] The shower then turns a corner and moves to the east in late August. The Kappa Cygnids are named for the position of the radiant at the peak of the shower, where the meteor shower will appear to line up in sky by the constellation Cygnus and the star Kappa Cygni.

Kappa Cygnids
Celestial map of Cygnus
Parent bodyUnknown
Radiant
ConstellationCygnus (near Kappa Cygni)
Right ascension19h 4m -0s
Declination+59° 00′ 00″
Properties
Occurs duringAugust 3 to August 25
Date of peakAugust 17
Velocity25 km/s
Zenithal hourly rate3
See also: List of meteor showers

The Kappa Cygnids are unusual in that they are absent in most years, but appear every 7 years (see table below). The years 2020 and 2021 fit in that sequence. The shower is known for occasional bright fireballs with multiple flares.

Year Active Between Peak of shower ZHR
1879 June - September August 13 3
1893 June - September August 13 3
1950 June - September August 13 3
1957 June - September August 13 3
1978 June - September August 13 3
1985 June - September August 13 3
1993 June - September August 13 3
1999 June - September August 13 3
2007 June - September August 13 3
2013 June - September August 13 3
2014 June - September August 13 3
2020 June - September August 13 3
2021 [3] June - September August 13 3

Notes

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  1. ^ "IMO Meteor Shower Calendar 2009: Contents: July to September: Kappa Cygnids". IMO.net.
  2. ^ "NASA Meteor Shower Portal". SETI Institute.
  3. ^ "Enhanced kappa Cygnids (KCG#0012) in 2021". eMeteorNews. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
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