Overview
- The American Meteor Society points to a sharp peak Friday night into Saturday morning, with another opportunity near dawn on Sunday.
- Moonlight from a full supermoon is expected to reduce counts to fewer than 10 meteors per hour, below the usual dark-sky rate of around 25 per hour.
- Under ideal dark conditions the shower can deliver roughly 120 meteors per hour, Royal Museums Greenwich notes, though this year’s brightness will mute faint streaks.
- The Quadrantids originate from debris tied to asteroid 2003 EH1, with particles striking the atmosphere at about 25 miles per second and creating fast, bright fireballs.
- No equipment is needed; experts recommend finding a dark site, avoiding phone screens, and giving eyes about 15 minutes to adjust for the best chance to spot meteors.