Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
2025 is ahead of us with many opportunities, including a comprehensive plan for meteor shower. They come every year like clockwork and that means planning for stargazing trips can be done months in advance. See what’s happening, when, and how to watch it.
Viewing instructions
To have the best possible chance of seeing more meteors during each shower, the first tip is to get as far away from a big city as possible – and this also applies to rural areas. Light pollution is the enemy of sky viewing and most meteor showers are not visible in the surrounding area, let alone a large city. From there, you’ll want to find the bright spot — also known as where the meteor shower appears to be coming from — and then keep your eyes focused in that direction. Moonlight can also be bad, but since meteor showers occur on specific dates, it is natural whether or not moonlight can affect viewing.
A meteorite is seen passing over the Trona Pinnacles near Death Valley, CA during the Perseid Meteor Showers in August 2019.
Quadrantids
When: Until Jan. 16
Due date: January 2 to 3
The number of meteors: 120 meteors per hour
Light: The Big Dipper
The New Year begins with a bang as the Quandrantids peak on Jan. 2 and 3. This is one of the largest meteor showers of the year, producing upwards of 120 meteors per hour. These meteors come from the 2003 EH asteroid as Earth passes through its tail.
Gamma values
When: Feb. 25 to March 28
Due date: March 14 to 15
The number of meteors: 6 meteors per hour
Light: Norma
Gamma Normids is a small meteor shower that appears in late February and about March. It comes courtesy of the C/1913 R1 (Crommelin) comet. This is one of the most unpleasant rains of the year. Its light is the constellation Norma, located in the Southern Hemisphere. However, skygazers can see meteors on the horizon on a dark night in mid-March and possibly several over the course of several days and weeks. Most people will probably not see anything but they are still there, throwing meteors.
Lyrids
The Milky way and meteors of the annual April Lyrids meteor shower are seen in the night sky above Burg auf Fehmarn on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn, northern Germany, in 2018.
When: Apr. 15 to Apr. 30
Due date: Apr. 21 to 22
The number of meteors: 18 meteors per hour
Light: Lyra
Things will start again in April with the Lyrids meteor shower. Its light is Lyra, which rises in the eastern part of the sky every night on time. This one is a little bigger than most, with 18 meteors per hour. Earth passes through the C/1861 G1 Thatcher comet every April to bring this shower to its citizens. Interestingly, meteors from the Lyrids tend to have no trails but can produce very bright flares.
They are Aquariids
When: Apr. 20 to May 21
Due date: May 3 to 4
The number of meteors: 50 meteors per hour
Light: Aquarius
1P/Halley, also known as Halley’s Comet, is the host of the Eta Aquariids, and is the largest meteor shower of the spring season with up to 50 meteors per hour. The only downside is that its star, Aquarius, doesn’t rise in the southeast until around 4 a.m. local time, meaning you’ll have to get up early or stay up too late to catch it. On the plus side, the moon will be fixed at that time, meaning that the moon will not block the view of the meteor shower.
Alpha Capricornids
When: July 12 to Aug. 12
Due date: July 29 to 30
The number of meteors: 5 meteors per hour
Light: Capricorn
The Alpha Capricornids are a small meteor shower originating from comet 169P/NEAT. It is not a powerful shower, but it is known for producing some of the largest fireballs. It is equally visible in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. The light of this is Capricornus, which crosses the southern sky and will be visible throughout the night at its peak. Fortunately, the moon won’t be too full, so it won’t obstruct much of the view.
Southern Delta Aquariids
When: July 28 to Aug. 12
Due date: July 29 to 30
The number of meteors: 25 meteors per hour
Light: Aquarius
The southern delta Aquariids often overshadow the Alpha Capricornids. This meteor shower starts early, a day or two after it starts, and then it starts in mid-August. Its origin places it on the same date as the Alpha Capricornids, so if you see a shooting star on July 29 or 30, it probably came from one. The light of this is Aquarius, which is close to Capricornus, which makes the two signs compatible. Researchers aren’t 100% sure which comet gave us the Southern delta Aquariids, although a good guess right now is 96P/Machholz.
Perseids
Trails of stars and meteors from the Perseid meteor shower are seen above Sutton Courtenay, a small village in Oxfordshire, in this undated photo.
When: July 17 to Aug. 23
Due date: Aug. 12 to 13
The number of meteors: 100 meteors per hour
Light: Perseus
The Perseids are one of the most famous celestial events of the summer. It comes from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and is one of the hottest meteor showers of the year. In addition, it happens during summer, which is the best season for meteor showers. The bright star is Perseus, which rises in the northeast in the late evening and stays overnight. The only downside is that the moon will be close to full Perseids in 2025, making it difficult to see small meteors.
Southern Taurids
When: Sept. 23 to Nov. 4
Due date: Oct. 10 to 11
The number of meteors: 5 meteors per hour
Light: Taurus
The Southern Taurids are one of the longest meteor showers of the year lasting a month. It’s not a meteor shower, but since it happens during multiple storms, you can see one of these while looking for another. Comet 2P/Encke warms this up and rises a few weeks after Halloween. These combine with the Northern Taurids to form the Taurids meteor shower. However, they peak on different dates so they are often labeled as separate meteor showers.
Orionids
When: Oct. 2 to Nov. 12
Due date: Oct. 22 to 23
The number of meteors: 20 meteors per hour
Light: Orion
The Orionids are meteor showers that occur mainly in October. It also has variations from the famous Halley’s Comet such as the Eta Aquariids shower. Unlike the Eta Aquariids, the Orionids come from the constellation Orion, which rises from the eastern sky in October. Also, the moon will be new, so it will have much darker skies than this year’s meteor shower.
The Draconids
When: Oct. 6 to Oct. 10
Due date: Oct. 8
The number of meteors: 10 meteors per hour
Light: Draco
The Draconids are the smallest and shortest meteor shower in the series, lasting all four days. It originates from the 21/P Giacobini-Zimmer comet and has a peak rate of about 10 meteors per hour. The meteor shower happens two days after it starts and the meteor shower ends two days later. The light of the Draconids is Draco, which is located between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, which makes it easy to find them at night.
Northern Taurids
When: Oct. 13 to Dec. 1
Due date: Nov. 8 to 9
The number of meteors: 5 meteors per hour
Light: Taurus
The Northern Taurids are the other half of the Taurids meteor shower and this one lasts longer, from mid-October to December. It peaks at about half its speed on Nov. 8, which is a few weeks later than its southern counterpart. Otherwise, the two are identical. Both are powered by the 2P/Encke comet and at their best produce about five meteors per hour. Currently, researchers believe that this shower originates from another part of Encke’s comet trail, which is why it is often labeled differently from its southern cousin.
Leonidas
When: Nov. 3 to Dec. 2
Due date: Nov. 16 to 17
The number of meteors: 15 meteors per hour
Light: Leo
A few days after the Northern Taurids peak, the Leonids shower will again be at its peak. Formed by the 55P/Tempel-Tuttle comet, the Leonids will come from the constellation Leo, which rises in the eastern sky around 2 a.m. local time most of the time. This is a larger meteor shower than the Taurids but a smaller shower than the Orionids. Since all four pass through the first week of November, it can be difficult to tell which shooting star is from which meteor shower. This is especially true since Taurus, Leo, and Orion are all in the eastern sky at this time of year. Leonids usually have fast, bright meteors that leave a trail, which may be the only way to distinguish the Leonids meteor from the other three showers.
Geminids
When: Dec. 4 to 20 Dec
Due date: Dec. 14 to 15
The number of meteors: 120 meteors per hour
Light: Gemini
The Geminids are one of the biggest storms of the year, and peak less than two weeks after Christmas. It is composed of 3200 Phaethon comets and can display up to 120 meteors per hour in the right locations. Geminids are well known for their bright, slow motion, which makes them easy to see in bright areas such as cities or towns. It takes place in the winter, but it can be shown if it is shown outside of a big city.
Ursids
When: Dec. 17 to 26 Dec
Due date: Dec. 22 to 23
The number of meteors: 10 meteors per hour
Light: The Little Dipper
The Ursids begin after the peak of the Geminids and continue until the day after Christmas. Since the Geminids end before Christmas, it’s possible that if you’ve ever seen a Christmas movie with a shooting star, it may have come from the Ursids. Swimming arrives in the evening of Dec. 22 from the Little Dipper, which is easily visible in the night sky on most evenings. Like the Draconids, they die almost as quickly as they appear, lasting only nine days.
Quadrantids
When:: Dec. 12, 2025 to January 12, 2026
Due date: January 3 to 4, 2026
The number of meteors: 120 meteors per hour
Light: The Big Dipper
The year ends as it begins with the Quandrantids meteor shower. It starts at the beginning of December and builds up to the New Year. Therefore, although it has the distinction of being the only meteor shower that occurs twice a year, its peak is in the first days of January. Otherwise, it is the same meteor shower as the Quadrantids mentioned above. Therefore, we will use this site to provide an interesting fact. Most meteor showers are fueled by comets, pieces of ice that float through the universe that leave long trails that, as Earth passes through them, create meteors. However, the Quadrantids are powered by 2003 EH, which is an asteroid and not a comet. Researchers believe that 2003 EH is probably a comet that died and became an asteroid.
