For most meteor showers, you don’t need a precise compass direction — the key is to get under dark skies and look broadly overhead, slightly away from the shower’s “radiant” point in the sky.

Simple rule of where to look

  • Go somewhere dark, let your eyes adjust for 20–30 minutes, and look up at as wide an area of sky as you can, ideally while lying back in a chair or on a blanket.
  • Try to look about two‑thirds of the way up from the horizon toward the top of the sky rather than at the horizon itself.
  • Avoid facing the Moon or nearby streetlights so your eyes stay dark‑adapted; keep the brightest light sources behind you if possible.

Radiant vs best viewing direction

  • Each meteor shower has a radiant (for example, the Perseids radiate from the constellation Perseus, the Geminids from Gemini), but you will see more impressive meteors by looking 20–40 degrees away from that radiant, not straight at it.
  • A star‑map or phone sky app can show you where the radiant is for tonight’s shower; once you find it, center your gaze a bit off to the side so you catch longer, brighter meteor streaks.

North, south, east, or west?

  • The “best” compass direction depends on the shower and your time of night, but if you can’t be precise, face whichever direction gives you the largest unobstructed, dark patch of sky, then scan slowly around.
  • After midnight to pre‑dawn, the side of the sky where stars are rising (roughly the eastern half) often yields more activity because that side faces into the stream of debris the Earth is moving through.

Quick checklist before you go

  • Bring a reclining chair or mat so you can comfortably look straight up for at least an hour.
  • Turn off or cover phone screens and any white lights; use a dim red light if you need to see charts or gear.
  • Use a sky‑app to locate tonight’s shower’s radiant, then position yourself to watch a big patch of sky slightly away from that point.

TL;DR: Pick your darkest spot, lie back, and look high up at a wide area of sky, slightly off to the side of the shower’s radiant and away from the Moon or bright lights.