Shower details – Radiant: 19h05m +59.1° – ZHR: 3 – Velocity: 25 km/sec – Parent Object:2008 ED69 ? – IAU Code: KCG
| Main Activity Dates | August 3-25 |
| Peak Dates | Around Aug 17 |
| Peak ZHR | 3 |
| Best Observed Around | Midnight |
| Visibility | All night |
| Affected by Moonlight | No |
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 18.
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 suggestions of a decades-long periodicity in rates. The parent body remains unknown, although the shower’s orbital characteristics are very similar to the Apollo group of asteroids. This led to a suggestion in 2008 that asteroid 2008 ED69 might be the parent body, though later research casts some doubt on this.
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.
Another interesting fact about the Kappa Cygnids is that according to Peter Jenniskens, they pass close to Venus, making them a major shower on that planet.
The position of the radiant, on the border of Cygnus and Draco, is shown on this chart:
