Web PlanetariumQuadrantid meteor showerWhen to watch, where to look and what time
The Quadrantids are one of the three major annual meteor showers, peaking every year in early January. Its peak is short, and the count changes a lot from year to year. It is named after Quadrans Muralis, a constellation no longer in use; the radiant lies near the border of Boötes and Draco. The radiant climbs after midnight, and the best time is before dawn.
When is the peak?
- Your time
- Expected rate
- Up to about 15–20 per hour (NAOJ, dark skies in Japan)
- Moon at peak
- 12% lit, waning
The peak time shifts a little each year. The prediction above is from NAOJ, based on IMO predictions. Even when the peak falls in your daytime, the nights before and after still bring many meteors.
See the 2027 peak-night sky →Where should I look?
Meteors seem to shoot out from one point in the sky, the radiant. The Quadrantids radiant is near the border of Boötes and Draco. Meteors appear all over the sky, not only near the radiant, so take in as much sky as you can.
What time is best?
| Latitude | 22:00 | 0:00 | 2:00 | 4:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50°N | 11° | 19° | 32° | 48° |
| 35°N | below | 6° | 22° | 40° |
| 20°N | below | below | 11° | 30° |
| 0° | below | below | below | 15° |
| 35°S | below | below | below | below |
Height of the radiant above the horizon on the night of Jan 3–4, 2027, calculated by this site. Times are local solar time, usually within an hour of standard clock time (add an hour under daylight saving time). The higher the radiant, the more meteors you see.
How to watch
- Find a dark place with a wide view of the sky, away from city lights.
- Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust. A bright phone screen undoes that; the planetarium’s Red light helps.
- Lie back on a mat or a reclining chair. Binoculars and telescopes show too little sky, so leave them at home.
- A bright Moon cuts the count; check “Moon at peak” above.
- Stay safe at night: watch for traffic, dress for the cold and keep children with an adult.
Where the meteors come from
A meteor shower happens when Earth runs into dust left along the path of a comet or similar body. The source of the Quadrantids is not settled yet; asteroid 2003 EH1 is the leading candidate. Other showers are on the meteor shower calendar.
Sources
- NAOJ, Quadrantids, January 2027 (in Japanese)
Credit: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). Dates and times are from NAOJ, checked on 2026-09-23. NAOJ bases meteor shower peaks on predictions by the International Meteor Organization (IMO). Moon illumination, radiant heights and the “See the sky” times are calculated by this site.