Stargaze › Meteor Showers › Quadrantids
Peak: 4 January 2026, around 06:00 UTC
Active: 28 December 2025 – 12 January 2026
Rate at peak: up to 120 meteors/hour (ZHR)
Speed: 41 km/s ·
Parent body: Asteroid 2003 EH1 ·
Radiant: Boötes
Over 100 meteors an hour at peak, and many of them are bright fireballs. The catch? The peak only lasts 6 to 12 hours, so timing matters. Miss the window and you'll be watching a fairly ordinary shower. Hit it right and it rivals the Perseids.
Face northeast after midnight and let your eyes adjust for at least 20 minutes before you start counting. The radiant is low at first but climbs through the early hours. Dress warmly - early January is brutal if you're out for a few hours.
Best from the Northern Hemisphere. The radiant is near the extinct constellation Quadrans Muralis, now absorbed into Boötes. It rises after midnight, so early risers get the best show.
Rates have topped 200 ZHR in exceptional years since the shower was first documented in 1825. The narrow peak and northern geometry mean it gets far less attention than it deserves compared to the Perseids or Geminids.
The Quadrantids peak on 4 January 2026 at around 06:00 UTC. The shower is active from 28 December 2025 to 12 January 2026.
Under dark skies at peak you can expect up to 120 meteors per hour (ZHR). Light pollution and moonlight reduce that figure.
The radiant lies in the constellation Boötes, but meteors appear across the whole sky. Face northeast after midnight and let your eyes adjust for at least 20 minutes before you start counting. The radiant is low at first but climbs through the early hours. Dress warmly - early January is brutal if you're out for a few hours.