How to Watch 2025's First Meteor Shower Tonight

If weather is good, hundreds of meteors will fill the night sky Thursday night during the first meteor shower of 2025, which NASA considers one of the greatest.

The Quadrantids have been active since Dec. 26, 2024, and will continue through Jan. 16. The American Meteor Society predicts up to 25 meteors per hour Thursday night and Friday morning.

NASA reports that the Quadrantids can peak at 200 meteors per hour, but January weather makes them hard to see.

The Quadrantids, first seen in 1825, were caused by debris from the 2-mile-wide asteroid 2003 EH1 entering Earth's atmosphere and exploding in light and color.

The Quadrans Muralis, a now-defunct 18th-century constellation, inspired the meteor shower, however the Quadrantids appear to originate near the Big Dipper.

How Should I Watch the Meteor Shower? NASA recommends lying flat on your back with your feet pointing northeast in a dark area to observe the Quadrantids in the Northern Hemisphere for 30 minutes to adapt your eyes.

Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Ohio, Michigan, Maine, Tennessee, and sections of Pennsylvania and New York will have dense cloud coverage Thursday night, making it unlikely to witness the shower, according to the NOAA.

The American Meteor Society predicts meteors will begin as the sun sets at 5 p.m. EST and peak through the night and early Friday morning.

LIKE SHARE SAVE

Heart

More Stories