The Quadrantids meteor shower continues: how to watch it

2025 is upon us with many possibilities, including a full calendar meteor showers. They arrive every year like clockwork, which means that stargazing can be planned months in advance. Here’s a look at what’s happening, when, and how you can watch it.

The New Year begins with the Quadrantids, which peak this week but continue until January 16th. Then there’s the so-called meteor shower, which happens all year long, except for a few weeks here and there. Among them are large dogs such as Eta Aquariids, Perseids, Geminids and the aforementioned Quadrantids. These are your best bets for spotting meteorites, but it’s possible to see one almost every night.

It makes sense mathematically. A study was conducted It claims about 17,000 meteors fall to Earth each year, although most of them burn up in the atmosphere and crash to the ground as dust. NASA reckons Every year, 48.5 tons of meteor debris fall on the Earth. That’s an average of one meteorite every two minutes for the entire year.

If you want to spot some meteors in 2025, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to do so with dozens of so-called meteor showers on the horizon.

Tips to watch

For the best chance of seeing meteors during any shower, the first tip is to stay as far away from a big city as possible — and that includes suburbanites. Light pollution is the enemy of space viewing, and most meteor showers are barely visible in the suburbs, let alone a major city. From there, you’ll want to find the brightness, also known as the point where the meteor shower originated, and then direct your eyes in that direction. Moonlight can also be a negative factor, but since meteor showers occur on certain days, it depends on nature whether moonlight affects vision.

Quadrantids

When: Until January 16
Peak date: January 2-3
Maximum meteorite rate: 120 meteors per hour
Bright: Big Bear

The New Year starts with a bang as the Quandrantides peak on January 2nd and 3rd. It 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 is dragged by its tail.

Gamma norms

When: February 25 – March 28
Peak date: March 14-15
Maximum meteorite rate: 6 meteors per hour
Bright: The norm

The Gamma Normids are a small meteor shower visible in late February and most of March. It comes courtesy of comet C/1913 R1 (Crommelin). This is one of the less exciting rains of the year. Its brightness is the constellation Norma, located in the Southern Hemisphere. However, avid sky watchers may see some meteors on the horizon on a dark night during the mid-March peak, and a few more in the days and weeks that follow. Most people probably won’t see anything, but it’s still there, shooting meteorites.

Lyrids

When: From April 15 to April 30
Peak date: April 21-22
Maximum meteorite rate: 18 meteors per hour
Bright: Lira

Things pick up again in April with the Lyrids meteor shower. Her glow is Lyra, which will rise from the eastern sky each night during her run. This is slightly larger than the others, with up to 18 meteors per hour. Earth passes by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher every April to deliver this rain to its citizens. Interestingly, meteors from the Lyrids have no trails, but can produce quite bright fireballs.

And aquariums

When: April 20 – May 21
Peak date: May 3-4
Maximum meteorite rate: 50 meteors per hour
Bright: Aquarius

1P/Halley, also known as Halley’s Comet, is responsible for the Eta Aquarids and is the largest meteor shower of the spring, with up to 50 meteors per hour. The only downside is that on its bright side, Aquarius doesn’t rise from the southeastern sky until 4 a.m. local time, meaning you’ll have to wake up very early or stay up very late to catch it. On the plus side, the moon will have set by then, meaning the moon won’t block the view of this meteor shower.

Alpha Capricorns

When: July 12 – August 12
Peak date: July 29-30
Maximum meteorite rate: 5 meteors per hour
Bright: Capricorn

Alpha Capricornids is a small meteor shower from comet 169P/NEAT. It is not a powerful shower, but it is notable for the formation of fairly large fireballs. It is equally visible in the southern and northern hemispheres. Bright for this is Capricornus, which stretches across the southern sky and will be visible all night during its zenith. Fortunately, the moon won’t be too full, so it won’t obstruct the view too much.

Southern delta aquarids

When: July 28 – August 12
Peak date: July 29-30
Maximum meteorite rate: 25 meteors per hour
Bright: Aquarius

Southern delta Aquariids often overshadow Alpha Capricorns. This meteor shower peaks early, a day or two after it officially begins, and then fades by mid-August. Its early peak puts it on the same day as Alpha Capricornus, so if you see a shooting star on July 29 or 30, it may have come from both. Bright for this is Aquarius, which is close to Capricorn, making the two douches a wonderful pair. Researchers aren’t 100% sure which comet gave us the Southern Delta Aquarids, though the best guess right now is 96P/Machholz.

Perseids

When: July 17 – August 23
Peak date: from August 12 to 13
Maximum meteorite rate: 100 meteors per hour
Bright: Perseus

The Perseids are one of the biggest cosmic events of the summer. It comes from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and is one of the most persistent meteor showers of the year. What’s more, it happens during the summer with the perfect meteor shower. It’s Perseus that rises relatively early in the evening from the bright, northeastern sky and keeps you awake all night. The only downside is that the moon will be almost full during the Perseid peak in 2025, making it difficult to see small meteors.

Southern Taurides

When: September 23 – November 4
Peak date: October 10-11
Maximum meteorite rate: 5 meteors per hour
Bright: Taurus

The Southern Taurids are one of the longest-lasting meteor showers of the year, lasting more than a month. It’s not a particularly active meteor shower, but since it occurs during several other meteor showers, you might see one while looking for another. Comet 2P/Encke lights this up, peaking a few weeks after Halloween. The Taurids paired with the Northern Taurids to make the meteor shower. However, they peak on different days, so they are often listed as separate meteor showers.

Orionids

When: October 2 – November 12
Peak date: October 22-23
Maximum meteorite rate: 20 meteors per hour
Bright: Orion

The Orionids are a fairly active meteor shower that occurs mostly in October. It also has the distinction of coming from the famous Halley’s Comet, such as the Eta Aquariids shower. Unlike the Eta Aquariids, the Orionids originate in the constellation Orion, which rises in the eastern sky in October. Also, the moon will be virtually new, so it will have one of the darkest skies of any meteor shower this year.

Draconids

When: From October 6 to October 10
Peak date: October 8
Maximum meteorite rate: 10 meteors per hour
Bright: Draco

The Draconids are a small meteor shower and the shortest on the list, lasting for four days. It comes from comet 21/P Giacobini-Zimmer and has a fairly decent peak of about 10 meteors per hour. The peak occurs just two days after the start, and the meteor shower ends two days later. Bright for the Draconids is Draco, which is between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, making it relatively easy to spot in the night sky.

Northern Taurides

When: October 13 – December 1
Peak date: November 8 to 9
Maximum meteorite rate: 5 meteors per hour
Bright: Taurus

The Northern Taurids are the other half of the Taurus meteor shower, which lasts longer, from mid-October to December. It peaks about halfway through its run on November 8, a few weeks later than its southern counterpart. Otherwise, the two are almost identical. They are both fed by comet 2P/Encke and produce about five meteors per hour at best. For now, researchers believe this shower comes from a different segment of Encke’s comet trail, which is why it’s often listed separately from its southern cousin.

The Leonids

When: November 3 – December 2
Peak date: November 16-17
Maximum meteorite rate: 15 meteors per hour
Bright: Lion

A few days after the northern Taurids peak, the Leonid shower will also peak. Formed by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, most of the Leonids run will come from Leo, rising in the eastern sky around 2 a.m. local time. It is a meteor shower larger than the Taurids but smaller than the Orionids. Since all four of them cross in the first week of November, it can be difficult to tell which meteor shower a star came from. This is especially true because Taurus, Leo, and Orion are in the eastern sky at this time of year. The Leonids often have fast, bright meteors that leave a trail, which may be the only way to distinguish the Leonids from the other three showers.

Twins

When: From December 4th to December 20th
Peak date: December 14-15
Maximum meteorite rate: 120 meteors per hour
Bright: Twins

Gemini is one of the biggest meteor showers of the year, peaking less than two weeks before Christmas. It was created by 3,200 Phaethon comets and can display up to 120 meteors per hour under the right conditions. Gemini is known for its brighter, slower-moving meteors, making them easier to spot in brighter areas like cities or suburbs. It takes place in the cold season, but can be quite a show when viewed from outside the big city.

Ursids

When: December 17 – December 26
Peak date: December 22-23
Maximum meteorite rate: 10 meteors per hour
Bright: Little Dipper

The Ursids begin immediately after the Geminian cusp and continue until the day after Christmas. Since Gemini ends before Christmas, it’s statistically likely that if you’ve ever seen a Christmas movie with a shooting star, it came from the Ursids. Easily visible in the night sky for most of the evening, the shower peaks on the evening of December 22 from the Little Dipper. Like Draconids, it disappears almost as quickly as it appears, lasting only nine days.

Quadrantids

When:: December 12, 2025 – January 12, 2026
Peak date: January 3-4, 2026
Maximum meteorite rate: 120 meteors per hour
Bright: Big Bear

The year ends as it began with the Quandrantids meteor shower. It starts at the beginning of December and covers the New Year. Thus, although it has the distinction of being the only meteor shower that occurs twice a year, the peak always falls in the first few days of January. Otherwise, it’s the same meteor shower as the Quadrantids listed above. So we’re going to use this space to share a fun fact. Most meteor showers are fed by comets, chunks of ice floating in space that the Earth passes through to form meteors. However, the Quadrantids are powered by 2003 EH, an asteroid, not a comet. Researchers believe that 2003 EH is potentially an extinct comet that has become an asteroid.