The stars have aligned for 2025.
The Quadrantid meteor shower — one of the most dazzling annual meteor showers — will be peaking overnight from Thursday to Friday, producing bright “fireballs” and up to 120 shooting stars per hour.
Quadrantids are known for bright fireball meteors, or larger explosions of light and color that can be seen longer than an average meteor streak.
The phenomenon is one of the “most intense” meteor showers to hit the skies each year, according to Science Alert.
While the meteor shower typically falls around the same time each year, conditions like the moonlight, poor weather outlooks and the small six-hour window to watch the showers may prevent observers from taking in the celestial spectacle.
Moonlight conditions vary each January, and the moon is expected to be at a favorable 11% full this Friday, making for a dim sky perfect for taking in shooting stars, according to the American Meteor Society.
Those looking to take in the meteor showers may see between 110 and 120 meteors every hour — as long as they look up at the sky during the shower’s six-hour window between Thursday and Friday.
New Yorkers may be in luck, however, as the Quadrantids are best spotted in the northern hemisphere, though they are likely to peak around 12:45 a.m. EST Friday, according to the meteor society.
From the northern hemisphere, observers may be able to take in Quadrantids’ radiant point — where meteors appear to originate in the sky — which falls just below the Big Dipper, between the constellations of Boötes and Draco.
The Quadrantids, which can be seen without a microscope, is set to last until Jan. 16, 2025.
After the Quadrantids, the next significant meteor shower is the Lyrids, which will begin on April 15 and last until April 30, with the peak on the night of April 21–22.
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