The year 2025 stretches ahead with plenty of opportunities, including a full program of meteor showers. They come like clockwork every year, and that means planning shooting star trips can be done months in advance. Here’s a look at what’s happening when and how you can watch it.
The new year will be ushered in by the Quadrantids, which are ending their peak this week but will continue into January. 16. After that, except for the occasional few weeks here and there, there is basically a named meteor shower all year long. Mixed in are the big dogs, such as the Eta Aquariids, the Perseids, the Geminids, and the aforementioned Quadrantids. These are your best bets for meteor sightings, but one can be seen almost every night.
Mathematically, it makes sense. One study conducted estimates that nearly 17,000 meteors hit the Earth each year, although most fall to the ground as dust after burning up in the atmosphere. NASA estimates that 48.5 tons of meteor debris hit Earth each year. That’s an average of roughly one meteorite every two minutes for an entire year.
If you want to spot some meteors in 2025, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so with more than a dozen named meteor showers on the horizon.
Tips for watching
For the best chance of seeing the most meteors during any given shower, the first tip is to get as far away from a major city as logistically possible—and that goes for the suburbs, too. Light pollution is the enemy of space viewing, and most meteor showers are barely visible in the suburbs, let alone major cities. From there, you’ll want to find the radiant — also known as the point where the meteor shower appears to be coming from — and then keep your eyes pointed in that direction. Moonlight can also be a negative factor, but since meteor showers occur on certain days, it is up to nature whether the moonlight will affect the sighting or not.
A meteorite is seen over Trona Pinnacles near Death Valley, California during the annual Perseid meteors in August 2019.
Quadrantids
When: Via Jan. 16
Peak Date: John. 2 to 3
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 120 meteors per hour
Bright: Big Dipper
The New Year begins with a bang as the Quandrantids peak in January. 2 and 3. This is one of the largest meteor showers of the year, when up to 120 meteors are born per hour. These meteors come from asteroid 2003 EH as Earth passes through its tail.
Gamma standards
When: February 25 to March 28
Peak Date: March 14-15
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 6 meteors per hour
Bright: Standard
Gamma Normids is a smaller meteor shower that appears in late February and mostly in March. Supplied courtesy of Comet C/1913 R1 (Crommelin). This is one of the least exciting showers of the year. Its radiant is the constellation Norma, which is located in the southern hemisphere. However, avid sky watchers may see some meteors on the horizon on a dark night during its peak in mid-March, and possibly a few more over the course of days and weeks. Most people probably won’t see anything, but it’s still there, throwing meteors.
Lyrids
The Milky Way and meteors of the annual April Lyrid meteor shower are seen in the night sky above Burg auf Fehmarn on the island of Fehmarn in the Baltic Sea in northern Germany in 2018.
When: April 15 to April 30
Peak Date: April 21 to 22
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 18 meteors per hour
Bright: Lyre
Things picked up again in April with the Lyrid meteor shower. Its emitter is Lyra, which rises from the eastern sky each night during its run. This one is a little bigger than most, with up to 18 meteors per hour. The country passes C/1861 G1 Thatcher comes every April to bring this shower to her citizens. Interestingly, Lyrid meteors usually have no trails, but they can produce quite bright fireballs.
Eta Aquariids
When: April 20 to May 21
Peak Date: May 3-4
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 50 meteors per hour
Bright: Aquarius
1P/Halley, known as Halley’s Comet, is responsible for the Eta Aquariids and is the largest meteor shower that occurs in the spring at a rate of up to 50 meteors per hour. The only downside is that its radiant, Aquarius, doesn’t emerge from the southeastern sky until around 4 a.m. local time, meaning you’ll have to get up very early or stay up late to catch it. On the other hand, the Moon will be setting by then, meaning the Moon will not obstruct the view for this meteor shower.
Alpha Capricorn
When: July 12-Aug. 12
Peak Date: July 29 to 30
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 5 meteors per hour
Bright: Capricorn
The Alpha Capricornids are a smaller meteor shower that originates from comet 169P/NEAT. It’s not a powerful shower, but it’s notable for producing fairly large fireballs. It is also equally visible in the southern and northern hemispheres. The radiant for this one is Capricornus, which stretches across the southern sky and will be visible all night during its peak. Fortunately, the moon won’t be too full, so it won’t obstruct the view too much.
Aquarium South Delta
When: July 28-Aug. 12
Peak Date: July 29 to 30
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 25 meteors per hour
Bright: Aquarius
The Southern Delta Aquariids are often overshadowed by the Alpha Capricornids. This meteor shower peaks early, just a day or two after it officially begins, and then ends in mid-August. Its early peak puts it on the same day as the Alpha Capricornids, so if you see a shooting star on July 29 or 30, it could have come from either of them. Radiant for this one is Aquarius, which is right next to Capricorn, making these two showers a good match. Researchers aren’t 100% sure which comet gives us the southern Delta Aquariids, though the best guess right now is 96P/Machholz.
Perseids
Star trails and a meteor from the Perseid meteor shower are seen above Sutton Courtenay, a small village in Oxfordshire, in this undated image.
When: July 17-Aug. 23
Peak Date: August 12 to 13
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 100 meteors per hour
Bright: Perseus
The Perseids are one of the first cosmic events that take place during the summer. It originates from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and is one of the busiest meteor showers of the year. Plus, it takes place in the summer, which is perfect weather for a meteor shower. The radiant is Perseus, which emerges from the northeastern sky fairly early in the evening and stays up all night. The only downside is that the moon will be nearly full during the Perseid peak in 2025, making it harder to see smaller meteors.
Southern Taurides
When: September 23 to November 4
Peak Date: October 10-11
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 5 meteors per hour
Bright: Bull
The South Taurids are one of the longest-lasting meteor showers of the year, lasting more than a month. It’s not a particularly active meteor shower, but since it takes place during several other meteor showers, you might spot one of them while you’re looking for another. Comet 2P/Encke drives it, peaking a few weeks before Halloween. This is paired with the Northern Taurids to form the Taurid Meteor Shower. However, they peak on different days, so they are often listed as separate meteor showers.
Orionids
When: October 2 to November 12
Peak Date: October 22 to 23
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 20 meteors per hour
Bright: Orion
The Orionids are a reasonably active meteor shower that occurs mostly during October. It also has the advantage of coming from the famous Halley’s Comet just like the Eta Aquariids shower. Unlike the Eta Aquariids, the Orionids come from the constellation Orion, which rises in the eastern sky in October. The moon will also be practically new, so it will have one of the darkest skies of any meteor shower this year.
Draconids
When: October 6 to 10
Peak Date: October 8
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 10 meteors per hour
Bright: Draco
The Draconids are the smaller meteor shower and the shortest on the list, lasting all four days. It comes from comet 21/P Giacobini-Zimmer and has a fairly decent peak of around 10 meteors per hour. It peaks just two days after it begins, and then the meteor shower ends two days later. The radiant for the Draconids is Draco, which is located between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, making it relatively easy to find in the night sky.
Northern Taurides
When: October 13 to December 1
Peak Date: November 8 to 9
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 5 meteors per hour
Bright: Bull
The Northern Taurids are the second half of the Taurid meteor shower, and this one lasts even longer, from mid-October through December. It peaks about halfway through its run on November 8, which is several weeks later than its southern counterpart. Otherwise, both are practically identical. Both are powered by comet 2P/Encke and at best produce around five meteors per hour. For now, researchers believe this swarm originates from a different segment of Comet Encke’s track, which is why it is often listed separately from its southern cousin.
Leonidas
When: November 3 to December 2
Peak Date: November 16 to 17
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 15 meteors per hour
Bright: Lion
Just a few days after the peaks of the Northern Taurids, the Leonid shower will also peak. Formed by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, the Leonids originate in the constellation Leo, which rises in the eastern sky around 2 a.m. local time for most of its run. It is a larger meteor shower than the Taurids, but a smaller shower than the Orionids. Since all four intersect during the first week of November, it can be difficult to determine which meteor shower the shooting star is from. This is especially true since Taurus, Leo and Orion are in the eastern sky at this time of year. Leonids often have fast, bright meteors that leave a trail, which may be the only way to distinguish a Leonid meteor from the other three showers.
Geminids
When: December 4th to December 20th
Peak Date: December 14-15
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 120 meteors per hour
Bright: Gemini
The Geminids are one of the biggest meteor showers of the year and peak less than two weeks after Christmas. It is generated by Comet 3200 Phaethon and can show up to 120 meteors per hour under the right conditions. The Geminids are best known for their brighter, slower-moving meteors, which make them easier to see in brighter areas like cities or suburbs. It takes place in a cold season, but it manages to put on quite a show when viewed from outside the big city.
Ursids
When: December 17th to December 26th
Peak Date: December 22-23
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 10 meteors per hour
Bright: Small car
The Ursids begin right after the Geminid peak and continue until the day after Christmas. Since the Geminids end before Christmas, it’s statistically likely that if you’ve ever seen a Christmas movie that has a shooting star, it probably came from the Ursids. The shower peaks on the evening of December 22 from the Big Dipper, which is clearly visible in the night sky for most of the evening. Like the Draconids, they disappear almost as quickly as they appear, lasting only nine days in total.
Quadrantids
When:: Dec. 12, 2025 to Jan. 12, 2026
Peak Date: John. 3 to 4, 2026
Maximum speed of the meteorite: 120 meteors per hour
Bright: Big Dipper
The year ends as it begins with the Quandrantids meteor shower. It starts at the beginning of December and ends around the New Year. So although this is the only meteor shower that occurs twice a year, the peak is always in the first days of January. Otherwise, it’s the same meteor shower as the aforementioned Quadrantids. So we’re going to use this space to throw in a fun fact. Most meteor showers are powered by comets, chunks of ice floating through space that leave long trails that, as the Earth moves, create meteors. However, the Quadrantids is powered by 2003 EH, which is an asteroid and not a comet. Scientists believe that 2003 EH is potentially a comet that died and became an asteroid.
