Quadrantids meteor shower 2026 and 2027

What the Quadrantids are

Like other showers, the Quadrantids happen when Earth runs through a stream of debris in space. Each grain burns up high in the atmosphere and leaves a brief streak. What makes this shower unusual is its parent: NASA identifies it as 2003 EH1, a small body about 2 miles (3 km) across that looks like an asteroid but may be a “dead comet” or “rock comet.” Astronomer Peter Jenniskens linked it to the shower after the Lowell Observatory’s LONEOS survey discovered it in 2003.

The stream is narrow, and Earth crosses it almost at a right angle. That is why the peak is so brief. Most major showers stay near their best for a day or two; the Quadrantids rise to their maximum and fall away again within a few hours, according to NASA.

What they look like

Quadrantids enter the atmosphere at a moderate speed, slower than the Perseids or Leonids. NASA notes that the shower is known for bright fireballs, which it defines as meteors brighter than magnitude −3 (lower numbers mean brighter). The International Meteor Organization (IMO) adds that bright fireballs have been seen even a few days after the peak.

How to watch from the US

The radiant, the point the meteors seem to come from, lies in northern Boötes, close to the end of the Big Dipper’s handle. In the evening it sits low in the north. It climbs through the night and is highest just before dawn, which is why our best hours for each city fall late in the night.

Northern states have the radiant higher than southern ones, but the whole country is well placed. You don’t need to stare at the radiant: meteors appear across the sky, and NASA suggests lying back with your feet toward the northeast and taking in as much sky as possible. Dress for a long, cold wait; NASA says your eyes adapt to the dark in less than 30 minutes.

The key question each year is when the brief peak happens. If it falls during North American darkness, the display can be strong. If it falls in our daytime, US observers catch only the edges, with far lower rates. The peak time and your local best hours are in the tables above.

Notable history

NASA says the Quadrantids were first noticed in 1825. The shower takes its name from Quadrans Muralis, a constellation the French astronomer Jérôme Lalande created in 1795 and named after an astronomical instrument. When the International Astronomical Union created its list of recognized modern constellations in 1922, Quadrans Muralis was dropped, but the name stayed with the shower. Some observers call it the Boötids instead. The American Meteor Society points out that the brief maximum and typical winter weather make this one of the hardest major showers to observe well.

2026 and 2027 outlook

2026 (past). The IMO calendar put the 2026 peak near 21h UT on January 3, with a full Moon in the sky all night. It expected visual counts to be strongly reduced. IMO’s 2027 calendar later reported that the 2026 peak rate, despite the moonlight, came out close to the long-term average.

2027. IMO’s predicted maximum is January 4 at 03:25 UT, with an uncertainty of roughly 2.5 hours. That is 10:25 p.m. EST and 7:25 p.m. PST on January 3, while the radiant is still low in the north, so US observers will catch the peak at reduced rates or the hours after it. The American Meteor Society notes that the timing favors Europe and western Asia. Moonlight will not interfere; IMO calls the lunar conditions perfect. IMO notes that peak rates in recent years have varied, and it cites Vaubaillon’s modeling that the stream is slightly shifted toward the Sun in 2027, which might bring enhanced activity. Treat that as a possibility, not a forecast of a strong display. The full year’s calendar is on our 2027 meteor shower page.