Meteor Shower
Quadrantids Meteor Shower
Peak rates of about 110 meteors per hour under ideal dark skies. Radiant in Bootes.
Your local time
3 Jan 2026, 18:18
Universal time
3 Jan 2026, 12:48 UTC
Time since
—
The Quadrantids are produced by debris from Asteroid 2003 EH1. Meteors appear to radiate from a point at RA 230°, Dec 49.5°, entering the atmosphere at about 41 km/s. The quoted zenithal hourly rate of 110 assumes a radiant overhead and a perfectly dark sky; real observed rates are usually lower. No equipment is needed — lie back, let your eyes dark-adapt for 20 minutes and watch a wide patch of sky.
Observation details
- Visibility
- Partially visible
- Best viewing time
- 4 Jan 2026, 05:48
- Direction to look
- NNW · azimuth 337°
- Altitude at peak
- -4.4°
- Equipment
- Naked Eye
- Zenithal hourly rate
- ~110/hr
- Parent
- Asteroid 2003 EH1
- Entry velocity
- 41 km/s
- Solar longitude at peak
- 283.15°
The event's peak happens below your horizon, but the same part of the sky reaches 50° later in the night.
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Photography & observing tips
- •Give your eyes at least 20 minutes to dark-adapt and avoid white light entirely.
- •Look about 40° away from the radiant rather than straight at it — meteors there leave longer trails.
- •For photography use a fast wide lens at f/2.8 or wider, 15–25 second exposures, and shoot continuously.
Event timeline
Times shown in your local timezone, computed from the event geometry.
Activity ramps up
29 Dec 2025, 18:18 · 29 Dec 2025, 12:48 UTC
Peak
3 Jan 2026, 18:18 · 3 Jan 2026, 12:48 UTC
Activity fades
8 Jan 2026, 18:18 · 8 Jan 2026, 12:48 UTC
Other meteor shower events
The nearest occurrences before and after this one.