| Main Activity Dates | August 3-25 |
| Peak Rates | around Aug 18th |
| Peak ZHR | 3 |
| Best Observed Rates | around the middle of the night |
| Visibility each night (UK) | Visible all night |
| Moonlight issues at Maximum | None – New Moon is on August 21 |
Although some kappa Cygnid activity will be seen by observers in the lead up to Perseid maximum, the peak of this minor shower occurs in mid August, probably around August 18th.
Rates are generally low and meteors are slow, but occasional bright fireballs (possibly in periodic bursts every 6 to 7 years) have been seen from this source. There are also suggestiojns of a decades-long periodicity in rates.
Interestingly, the shower shows up rather strongly in the radar monitoring of the CMOR system , indicating that there is also a significant contribution from small particles that are too faint to be readily seen with the naked eye.
New Moon in 2017 is on Aug 21. Hence moonlight will not be a problem for the peak of the 2017 Kappa Cygnids.
The position of the radiant, on the border of Cygnus and Draco, is shown on this chart:
