Unlocking the Skies: Your Guide to Spotting the 2025 Quadrantid Meteor Shower

When the Quadrantid meteor shower reaches its peak on Friday, it will present the year’s initial opportunity to admire fireballs in the night sky.

A diminishing crescent moon ensures favorable visibility in clear and dark conditions.

Most meteor showers derive their names from the constellations from which they seemingly emerge in the night sky. However, the Quadrantids “derive their name from a constellation that no longer exists,” explained NASA’s William Cooke.

These meteors typically do not possess long trails, although the heads may manifest as brilliant fireballs. NASA states that the peak may present as many as 120 meteors each hour.

Visibility persists until January 16. Here’s what you should know about the Quadrantids and other meteor showers.

What constitutes a meteor shower?

As Earth orbits the sun, several times each year it traverses remnants left by passing comets—and, on occasion, asteroids. The origin of the Quadrantids is detritus from the asteroid 2003 EH1.

As these swiftly traversing space rocks penetrate Earth’s atmosphere, they confront resistance from the air, becoming extremely heated and eventually disintegrating.

Occasionally, the surrounding atmosphere briefly illuminates, leaving behind a blazing tail—the conclusion of a “shooting star.”

You don’t require special instruments to witness the various meteor showers that light up the sky each year; merely find a location away from urban illumination.

How to observe a meteor shower

The prime time for viewing a meteor shower is during the early pre-dawn hours, when the moon is positioned low in the sky.

Competing light sources—such as a bright moon or artificial glow—pose significant challenges to achieving a clear view of the meteors. Cloudless nights when the moon is at its thinnest present the best viewing conditions.

And remember to keep your gaze upward, not downward. Your eyes will be better attuned to spotting shooting stars if you’re not preoccupied with your phone.

The Quadrantids will reach their peak on a night featuring a slender crescent moon, just 11% illuminated.

When is the upcoming meteor shower?

The subsequent meteor shower, the Lyrids, will peak in mid-April.

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