<div class="" data-article-body="true"><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words"><i>When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.</i></p><figure class="relative mb-4"><div class="relative"><img alt=" White streaks of meteors are seen against a dark purple night sky with a frozen lake with lights below pushed against silhouetted mountains in the background. " loading="lazy" width="960" height="540" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/HYfnGuKS5UFOG4iaanD1IQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/space_311/277219fb78249d3aba366702709f937b"><button aria-label="View larger image" class="group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent" data-ylk="elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;"><span class="absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none"><svg viewbox="0 0 22 22" aria-hidden="true" class="size-4 lg:size-6" width="22" height="22"><path d="M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z"></path></svg></span></button><dialog aria-label="Modal Dialog" aria-modal="true" class="fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden"></dialog></div><figcaption class="relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5"><div style="max-height:none;overflow:visible">Quadrantids captured above a lake in Thailand in 2022. . | Credit: dreamedmstudio/Getty Images</div></figcaption></figure><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">Early each January, the Quadrantid meteor stream provides one of the most intense annual meteor displays, with a brief, sharp maximum that lasts only a few hours.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">The meteors of this first shower of the year radiate from the northeast corner of the constellation of <a href="https://www.space.com/bootes-constellation.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Boötes,;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>Boötes,</u></a> the Herdsman, so we might expect them to be called the "Boötids." But back in the late-18th century, there was a constellation here called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrans_Muralis" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Quadrans Muralis;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>Quadrans Muralis</u></a>, the "Mural or Wall Quadrant" (an astronomical instrument). It is one of the many constellation names that have fallen into disuse. Thus, the meteors were christened "<a href="https://www.space.com/35142-quadrantid-meteor-shower-guide.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Quadrantids;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>Quadrantids</u></a>" and even though the constellation from which these meteors appear to radiate no longer exists, the shower's original moniker continues to this day.</p><h2 class="mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl">Crumbs of a dead comet?</h2><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">At peak activity, 60 to 120 Quadrantid meteors per hour can be seen under ideal conditions. However, the influx is sharply peaked: just six hours before and after maximum, these blue meteors appear at only half of their highest rates. This suggests that the stream of particles is relatively narrow — possibly derived fairly recently from a small comet.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">In fact, in 2003, astronomer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Jenniskens" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Peter Jenniskens;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>Peter Jenniskens</u></a> of NASA, <a href="https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2004JIMO...32....7J" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:found a near-Earth asteroid (2003 EH1);elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>found a near-Earth asteroid (2003 EH1)</u></a>, whose orbit closely matches that of the Quadrantid stream. Some astronomers suspect that this asteroid is actually a fragment of an old, "extinct" comet; perhaps the same comet that was recorded by Chinese, Korean, and Japanese observers during the years 1490-91. If so, that comet may have broken apart, with some of its debris becoming the meteoroids that now produce the Quadrantids.</p><h2 class="mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl">2026: A poor year</h2><figure class="relative mb-4"><div class="relative"><img alt="A full moon is seen in a gray sky over a series of red jagged cliffs. " loading="lazy" width="960" height="540" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/TpuXFuOkuPQNK9_JWLjyEQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/space_311/64c9483ad2669a0ea2cd1caed295c7a9"><button aria-label="View larger image" class="group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent" data-ylk="elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;"><span class="absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none"><svg viewbox="0 0 22 22" aria-hidden="true" class="size-4 lg:size-6" width="22" height="22"><path d="M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z"></path></svg></span></button><dialog aria-label="Modal Dialog" aria-modal="true" class="fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden"></dialog></div><figcaption class="relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5"><div style="max-height:none;overflow:visible">The full moon on Jan. 3 will hinder Quadrantid meteor shower hunting efforts this year. | Credit: Robert_Ford/Getty Images</div></figcaption></figure><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">Unfortunately, 2026 will not be a good year to look for the "Quads." Chalk it up to poor timing.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">First, the peak of this year's shower, according to Margaret Campbell-Brown and Peter Brown in the <a href="https://secure.rasc.ca/store/product/observer-s-handbook-2026" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:2026 Observer's Handbook;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>2026 Observer's Handbook</u></a> of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, is predicted for 5 p.m. EST on Jan. 3. That places the maximum during daylight hours for much of North America. But even if the peak were to occur at night, there is an even greater problem.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">For on that very same day, the moon will turn full.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">As a result, throughout the overnight hours of Saturday, Jan. 3, into Sunday, Jan. 4, the sky will be flooded with brilliant moonlight. The moon will remain above the horizon all night, located in the constellation of Gemini the Twins and not far from the planet Jupiter. That moonlight will squelch all but the very brightest of meteors.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">Ordinarily, the Quadrantids are best seen just before dawn — around 6 a.m. local time — when the radiant, the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to emanate, is climbing higher into the northeastern sky.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">If you do decide to head out to look for meteors, remember to bundle up! It is, after all, wintertime. And if you can't find someone who would care to share the viewing duties with you, a thermos jug of your favorite hot beverage — coffee, tea or cocoa — makes for a fine companion on a cold night.</p><figure class="relative mb-4"><div class="relative"><img alt="Infographic with a red flashlight, woolly hat, flask and a deck chair. " loading="lazy" width="960" height="540" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/0VYSl7AImoajFOAM0W_0mg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/space_311/fb7ec9525a4159fd3d5d75f2fc32e31f"><button aria-label="View larger image" class="group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent" data-ylk="elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;"><span class="absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none"><svg viewbox="0 0 22 22" aria-hidden="true" class="size-4 lg:size-6" width="22" height="22"><path d="M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z"></path></svg></span></button><dialog aria-label="Modal Dialog" aria-modal="true" class="fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden"></dialog></div><figcaption class="relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5"><div style="max-height:none;overflow:visible">Our tips for having the best meteor hunting experience. | Credit: Created in Canva by Daisy Dobrijevic</div></figcaption></figure><h2 class="mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl">Two years from now, we could have a winner!</h2><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">But as bad as it is for the Quadrantids this year, it will be a very different story in 2028.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">That year, the peak of the shower is set for 5 a.m. EST on Jan. 4, which especially favors eastern North America. And the moon will be at a much more favorable phase: a fat waxing crescent, which will not be in the predawn sky at all and will thus be of absolutely no hindrance to meteor viewing compared to this year. Given clear skies, the "Quads" could turn out to be one of the best meteor displays of 2028.</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words">Mark your calendars!</p><p class="mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words"><em>Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's </em><a href="https://www.amnh.org/our-research/hayden-planetarium" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Hayden Planetarium;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u><em>Hayden Planetarium</em></u></a><em>. He writes about astronomy for </em><a href="http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Natural History magazine;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u><em>Natural History magazine</em></u></a><em>, </em><a href="https://skyandtelescope.org/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Sky and Telescope;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u><em>Sky and Telescope</em></u></a><em> and other publications.</em></p></div>

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