Experience the Magic: Your Guide to the Enchanting Quadrantids Meteor Shower Tonight!

The Orionids typically produce around 20 to 25 meteors each hour at their peak, recognized for their brightness—many Orionids are fireball meteors. Similar to the Eta Aquariids, the Orionids are debris left from Halley’s Comet.

These meteors seem to radiate from the constellation Orion, which rises around 11 pm local time and reaches its apex in the sky just before dawn.

The new moon occurs on the night of October 21–22, and during the week surrounding it, the moon will set well before midnight, providing ideal viewing circumstances for this meteor shower.

The Leonids (November–December)

The Leonids are observable from approximately November 3 to December 2. They experience a sharp peak, generating the highest number of meteors overnight from November 16 to November 17, according to the American Meteor Society. Other entities, however, forecast that this shower will peak from November 17 to November 18. During the Leonids’ peak, one can expect to observe around 15 meteors per hour under dark skies.

Even though the Leonids generate fewer meteors compared to several other notable meteor showers, they are celebrated for producing swift, bright, fireball meteors.

The Leonids peak just prior to the new moon—on the morning of November 18, the moon will be just 6 percent illuminated and in the eastern United States will not rise until around 5 am on November 17, allowing ample time to witness this meteor shower under optimal conditions.

The radiant of the Leonids is found in the constellation Leo, which rises around midnight local time and is at its highest in the sky at dawn.

The Geminids (December)

The Geminids are active from about December 4 to December 17, peaking during the night from December 13 to December 14. Due to their sharp peak, the night of the 13th is the prime time for skywatching.

The Geminids are regarded as the most stunning meteor shower of the year: In addition to featuring up to 120 or even 150 meteors per hour at its peak, this meteor shower is also the brightest and most vibrant of the year.

Geminids are bright and slow-moving meteors often displaying yellow tones, but they can appear in a variety of other colors such as green, blue, white, red, or orange. Unlike the majority of meteors, which result from comet debris, the Geminids stem from an asteroid.

On the night of the Geminids’ peak, their radiant, located in the constellation Gemini, will be present in the sky all night, reaching its zenith around 2 am local time, thus meteors will be visible almost throughout the night.

That same evening, the moon will be approximately 32 percent illuminated and will rise around 1:30 am in the eastern United States, ensuring that if you observe this shower shortly after midnight, the moonlight will not disrupt your experience.

The Ursids (December)

The Ursids are active from around December 17 to December 26, with a peak occurring during the early morning hours of December 22. This meteor shower is less prolific than others, usually producing about 10 meteors per hour; however, the conditions for viewing will be excellent. The moon is expected to set around 6 pm in the eastern United States on the 21st, meaning no moonlight will interfere with this meteor shower.

Even though the Ursids usually show peak activity just before dawn, when its radiant, the Little Dipper (or Ursa Minor), is at its highest, you will be able to see meteors throughout the entire night during this shower’s peak. In northern latitudes, the Ursids’ radiant is situated above the horizon all night.