Quadrantids Meteor Shower Is Continuing: How to Watch It
2025 stretches ahead of us with plenty of opportunities, including a full schedule ofmeteor showers. They come around every year like clockwork and that means planning shooting star trips can be done months in advance. Here's a look at what's happening when, and how you can watch.The New Year kicks off with Quadrantids, which is finishing its peak this week, but runs until Jan. 16. After that, aside from the occasional couple weeks here and there, there is a named meteor shower occurring essentially the entire year. Mixed among them are the big dogs such as the Eta Aquariids, Perseids, Geminids and the aforementioned Quadrantids. Those are the best bets for spotting meteorites, but it's possible to see one almost every night.It makes sense from a mathematical standpoint. One study conducted posits that nearly 17,000 meteors hit Earth every year, although most of them hit the ground as dust after burning up in the atmosphere. NASA estimates that 48.5 tons of meteor debris hits the Earth every year. That averages out to roughly one meteorite every two minutes for the entire year.If you're looking to spot some meteors in 2025, you will have plenty of opportunities to do so with over a dozen named meteor showers on the horizon.Tips for watchingTo have the best odds of seeing the most meteors during any given shower, the first advice is to get as far away from the big city as logistically possible -- and that also applies to suburbanites. Light pollution is the enemy of space viewing and most meteor showers are barely visible in the suburbs, let alone a big city. From there, you'll want to find the radiant -- also known as the point from which the meteor shower appears to originate -- and then keep your eyes pointed in that direction. The moon's light can also be a negative factor, but since meteor showers occur on specific days, it's up to nature as to whether or not moonlight will affect viewing. A meteorite is seen streaking over Trona Pinnacles near Death Valley, CA during the annual Perseid Meteor Showers in August 2019. Bob Riha Jr./Getty ImagesQuadrantidsWhen:Through Jan. 16Peak date: Jan. 2 to 3Maximum meteor rate: 120 meteors per hourRadiant: The Big DipperThe New Year starts with a bang as Quandrantids peaks on Jan. 2 and 3. This is one of the largest meteor showers of the year, spawning upwards of 120 meteors per hour. These meteors come from the 2003 EH asteroid as the Earth drifts through its tail.Gamma NormidsWhen: Feb. 25 to March 28Peak date: March 14 to 15Maximum meteor rate: 6 meteors per hourRadiant: NormaGamma Normids is a minor meteor shower that appears toward the end of February and most of March. It comes courtesy of the C/1913 R1 (Crommelin) comet. This one is one of the less exciting showers of the year. Its radiant is the Norma constellation, which is in the Southern Hemisphere. However, avid skygazers can see some meteors on the horizon on a dark night during its peak in mid-March and potentially a few more in the intervening days and weeks. Most folks likely won't see anything but it's still there, tossing meteors.Lyrids The milky way and meteors of the April Lyrids annual meteor shower are seen in the night sky over Burg auf Fehmarn on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn, northern Germany, in 2018. Daniel Reinhardt/Getty ImagesWhen: Apr. 15 to Apr. 30Peak date: Apr. 21 to 22Maximum meteor rate: 18 meteors per hourRadiant: LyraThings pick up again in April with the Lyrids meteor shower. Its radiant is Lyra, which will rise out of the eastern sky every night during its run. This one is a little bigger than most, having up to 18 meteors per hour. Earth runs through the C/1861 G1 Thatcher comet every April to bring this shower to its citizens. Interestingly, meteors from Lyrids tend to not have trails but can produce some pretty bright fireballs.Eta AquariidsWhen: Apr. 20 to May 21Peak date: May 3 to 4Maximum meteor rate: 50 meteors per hourRadiant: AquariusThe 1P/Halley, famously known as Halley's Comet, is responsible for the Eta Aquariids, and it's the biggest meteor shower to occur during spring with up to 50 meteors per hour. The only downside is that its radiant, Aquarius, doesn't rise out of the southeastern sky until around 4 a.m. local time, meaning you'll have to wake up very early or stay up super late to catch it. On the plus side, the moon will have set by then, meaning the moon won't obstruct the view for this meteor shower.Alpha CapricornidsWhen: July 12 to Aug. 12Peak date: July 29 to 30Maximum meteor rate: 5 meteors per hourRadiant: CapricornusAlpha Capricornids is a minor meteor shower that comes from the 169P/NEAT comet. It's not a strong shower, but it is notable for producing some rather large fireballs. It's also equally visible in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. The radiant for this one is Capricornus, which streaks through the south sky and will be visible all night during its peak. Fortunately, the moon won't be too full, so it won't obstruct the view too much.Southern delta AquariidsWhen: July 28 to Aug. 12Peak date: July 29 to 30Maximum meteor rate: 25 meteors per hourRadiant: AquariusSouthern delta Aquariids often overshadows the Alpha Capricornids. This meteor shower peaks early, just a day or two after it officially starts, and then tails off through mid-August. Its early peak puts it on the same day as Alpha Capricornids, so if you see a shooting star on July 29 or 30, it might have come from either one. The radiant for this one is Aquarius, which is right next to Capricornus, making the two showers a fine pairing. Researchers aren't 100% certain which comet gives us the Southern delta Aquariids, although the best guess right now is 96P/Machholz.Perseids Star trails and a meteor from the Perseid meteor shower are seen over Sutton Courtenay, a small village in Oxfordshire, in this undated image. William McCourt/Getty ImagesWhen: July 17 to Aug. 23Peak date: Aug. 12 to 13Maximum meteor rate: 100 meteors per hourRadiant: PerseusPerseids is one of the premier space events that takes place during the summer. It comes from the 109P/Swift-Tuttle comet and is one of the most consistently busy meteor showers of the year. Plus, it takes place over the summer, which is perfect meteor shower weather. The radiant is Perseus, which rises out of the northeastern sky relatively early in the evening and stays up all night. The only downside is that the moon will be almost full during Perseids' peak in 2025, making it more difficult to see the smaller meteors.Southern TauridsWhen: Sept. 23 to Nov. 4Peak date: Oct. 10 to 11Maximum meteor rate: 5 meteors per hourRadiant: TaurusSouthern Taurids is one of the longest-lasting meteor showers of the year lasting well over a month. It's not a particularly active meteor shower, but since it takes place during several other meteor showers, you may spot one of these while looking for another one. The 2P/Encke comet fuels this one and it peaks a couple of weeks away from Halloween. This one is paired with the Northern Taurids to make the Taurids meteor shower. However, they peak on different days so they're often listed as separate meteor showers.OrionidsWhen: Oct. 2 to Nov. 12Peak date: Oct. 22 to 23Maximum meteor rate: 20 meteors per hourRadiant: OrionOrionids is a reasonably active meteor shower that happens mostly during October. It also has the distinction of coming from the famous Halley's Comet just like the Eta Aquariids shower. Unlike Eta Aquariids, the Orionids come out of the Orion constellation, which rises out of the eastern sky in October. Also, the moon will be virtually new, so it'll have one of the darkest skies of any meteor shower this year.DraconidsWhen: Oct. 6 to Oct. 10Peak date: Oct. 8Maximum meteor rate: 10 meteors per hourRadiant: DracoDraconids is a minor meteor shower and the shortest one on the list, lasting for all of four days. It hails from the 21/P Giacobini-Zimmer comet and has a fairly decent peak at around 10 meteors per hour. The peak occurs just two days after it starts and then the meteor shower ends two days later. The radiant for Draconids is Draco, which is between the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, making it relatively easy to find in the night sky.Northern TauridsWhen: Oct. 13 to Dec. 1Peak date: Nov. 8 to 9Maximum meteor rate: 5 meteors per hourRadiant: TaurusNorthern Taurids is the other half of the Taurids meteor shower and this one lasts even longer, going from the middle of October all the way until December. It peaks about halfway through its run on Nov. 8, which is a few weeks later than its southern counterpart. Otherwise, the two are virtually identical. They are both fueled by the 2P/Encke comet and at their best produce around five meteors per hour. For now, researchers believe that this shower comes from a different segment of the Encke comet trail, which is why it's often listed separately from its southern cousin.LeonidsWhen: Nov. 3 to Dec. 2Peak date: Nov. 16 to 17Maximum meteor rate: 15 meteors per hourRadiant: LeoJust a few days after the Northern Taurids peaks, the Leonids shower will also peak. Created by the 55P/Tempel-Tuttle comet, Leonids will come from the Leo constellation, which rises in the eastern sky right around 2 a.m. local time for most of its run. This is a bigger meteor shower than the Taurids but a smaller shower than the Orionids. Since all four of them intersect during the first week of November, it may be tough to tell which meteor shower a shooting star comes from. This is especially true since Taurus, Leo, and Orion are all in the eastern sky at this time of year. Leonids often has fast, bright meteors that leave a trail, which may be the only way to differentiate a Leonids meteor from the other three showers.GeminidsWhen: Dec. 4 to Dec. 20Peak date: Dec. 14 to 15Maximum meteor rate: 120 meteors per hourRadiant: GeminiGeminids is one of the biggest meteor showers of the year, and it peaks less than two weeks away from Christmas. It's generated by the 3200 Phaethon comet and can show as many as 120 meteors per hour in the right conditions. Geminids is best known for its brighter, slower-moving meteors, making them easier to see in brighter areas like cities or suburbs. It takes place during the cold season, but it can put on quite a show if viewed from outside the big city.UrsidsWhen: Dec. 17 to Dec. 26Peak date: Dec. 22 to 23Maximum meteor rate: 10 meteors per hourRadiant: The Little DipperUrsids begins right after the peak of Geminids and continues until the day after Christmas. Since Geminids ends before Christmas, it is statistically likely that if you've ever watched a Christmas movie that has a shooting star, it likely came from Ursids. The shower peaks on the evening of Dec. 22 from the Little Dipper, which is readily visible in the night sky for most of the evening. Much like Draconids, it disappears almost as fast as it shows up, lasting only nine days in total.QuadrantidsWhen:: Dec. 12, 2025 to Jan. 12, 2026Peak date: Jan. 3 to 4, 2026Maximum meteor rate: 120 meteors per hourRadiant: The Big DipperThe year ends the same way it begins with the Quandrantids meteor shower. It starts in early December and wraps around to the New Year. Thus, while it does have the distinction of being the only meteor shower that occurs twice a year, the peak is always in the first few days of January. Otherwise, it's the same meteor shower as the Quadrantids listed above. So, we'll use this space to deliver a fun fact. Most meteor showers are fueled by comets, chunks of ice floating through the universe that leave long trails that, as Earth moves through them, create meteors. However, Quadrantids is fueled by 2003 EH, which is an asteroid and not a comet. Researchers believe that 2003 EH is potentially a comet that died out and became an asteroid.
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