Quadrantid meteor shower peaks this week: How to see the first 'shooting' stars of the year

Skywatchers are set for a double helping of celestial sights on Saturday, Jan. 3, when the rise of the first full moon of 2026 will be followed shortly by the peak of one of the strongest meteor showers of the year.

Although it's not as famous as August's Perseids or December's Geminids, January's Quadrantids can be just as prolific. This year, they will be active from Dec. 28 through Jan. 12 and will peak on Jan. 3 starting around 4 p.m. EST (21:00 UTC).

During that peak, about 25 "shooting stars" are likely per hour. However, because this meteor shower coincides with the full moon this year, the sky will be relatively bright. That will make faint meteors harder to see, with around 10 per hour likely to be visible.

It's a narrow peak, lasting about six hours, so North American skywatchers should start looking as soon as it gets dark. Although shooting stars from the Quadrantids tend to be relatively faint, they can often produce bright "fireballs."

Quadrantids can be seen anywhere in the night sky, but they appear to come from the northern sky — specifically, the constellation Boötes, part of which was formerly called Quadrans Muralis (hence the name of this meteor shower). The best way to visualize this radiant origin point for the Quadrantids is to look at the night sky around the handle of the famous Big Dipper asterism.

The Quadrantid meteor shower happens when, each January, Earth travels through a narrow stream of dust and debris orbiting the sun. The stream is thought to come from an object called 2003 EH, which may be an asteroid or an extinct comet and takes 5.5 years to orbit the sun from around the same distance as Earth (but safely beyond it), according to EarthSky.

The next notable meteor shower wil be the Lyrids in April. When the Lyrid meteor shower peaks on the night of April 21-22 during a crescent moon, the sky conditions will be ideal for seeing about 18 shooting stars per hour.

To maximize the number of meteors you'll see during either event, find a location with a clear view of as much of the night sky as possible. The bright moon during the Quadrantids will make it pointless to attempt escaping to dark skies, but try to keep the moon behind you to maximize your chances of spotting shooting stars.