2025 is upon us with many possibilities, including a full schedule of meteor showers. They come around every year like clockwork and this means that planning shooting star trips can be done months in advance. Here's a look at what's happening when and how you can watch.
Viewing Tips
To have the best chance of seeing the most meteors during any given shower, the first tip is to get as far away from the big city as logistically possible — and that goes for the suburbs as well. Light pollution is the enemy of space viewing and most meteor showers are barely visible in the suburbs, let alone a big city. From there, you'll want to find the flare—also known as the point where the meteor shower appears to originate 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 nature-dependent whether the moonlight will affect the viewing.
A meteor is seen streaking over the Trona Pinnacles near Death Valley, California during the annual Perseid Meteor Shower in August 2019.
Quadrantids
When: Until January 16
Peak Date: January 2 to 3
Maximum Meteor Rate: 120 meteors per hour
Radiates: The Great Bear
The New Year starts off with a bang as the Quandrantids peak on January 2nd and 3rd. This is one of the biggest meteor showers of the year, with over 120 meteors per hour. These meteors come from asteroid 2003 EH as Earth moves through its tail.
Gamma norms
When: February 25 to March 28
Peak Date: From March 14 to 15
Maximum Meteor Rate: 6 meteors per hour
Radiates: Norma
Gamma Normids is a smaller meteor shower that occurs in late February and most of March. It comes courtesy of Comet C/1913 R1 (Crommelin). This is one of the less exciting rains of the year. Its radiation is the constellation Norma, which is located in the southern hemisphere. However, avid skygazers can see some meteors on the horizon on a dark night during its peak in mid-March and potentially a few more in the intervening 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, northern Germany, in 2018.
When: April 15 to April 30
Peak Date: April 21 to 22
Maximum Meteor Rate: 18 meteors per hour
Radiates: Lira
Things pick up again in April with the Lyrids meteor shower. Her light is Lyra, which will rise from the eastern sky each night during her run. This one is a bit bigger than most, with up to 18 meteors per hour. Earth passes by Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher every April to bring this shower to its citizens. Interestingly, Lyrid meteors tend to have no trails, but they can produce some pretty bright fireballs.
And Aquariids
When: April 20 to May 21
Peak Date: May 3 to 4
Maximum Meteor Rate: 50 meteors per hour
Radiates: Aquarius
1P/Halley, known as Halley's Comet, is responsible for the Eta Aquariids and it is the largest meteor shower to occur during the spring with up to 50 meteors per hour. The only downside is that her glow, Aquarius, doesn't rise from the southeastern sky until around 4am local time, meaning you'll have to wake up very early or stay up late to catch it. On the plus side, the moon will have set by then, meaning the moon won't obstruct the view of this meteor shower.
Alpha Capricorn
When: July 12 to August 12
Peak Date: From July 29 to 30
Maximum Meteor Rate: 5 meteors per hour
Radiates: Capricorn
Alpha Capricornids is a smaller meteor shower that comes from comet 169P/NEAT. It's not a heavy shower, but it's notable for producing some pretty big fireballs. It is equally visible in the southern and northern hemispheres. The bright star for this one is Capricornus, which streaks 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.
Aquarians of the southern delta
When: July 28 to August 12
Peak Date: From July 29 to 30
Maximum Meteor Rate: 25 meteors per hour
Radiates: Aquarius
Southern Delta Aquarians often overshadow Alpha Capricorns. This meteor shower peaks early, just a day or two after it officially begins, and then ends by mid-August. It puts its early peak on the same day as Alpha Capricorn, so if you see a falling star on July 29 or 30, it may come from either of them. The luminary for this one is Aquarius, which is right next to Capricorn, making the two showers a good pair. Researchers aren't 100% sure which comet gives us the southern Delta Aquarius, 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 picture.
When: July 17 to August 23
Peak Date: Aug. 12 to 13
Maximum Meteor Rate: 100 meteors per hour
Radiates: Perseus
The Perseids is one of the top space events of the summer. It comes from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and is one of the busiest meteor showers of the year. Plus, it takes place during the summer, which is perfect weather for a meteor shower. The glow is Perseus, which rises from the northeastern sky relatively early in the evening and stays awake all night. The only drawback is that the Moon will be nearly full during the Perseid peak in 2025, making it difficult to see the smaller meteors.
Southern Taurides
When: September 23 to November 4
Peak Date: From October 10 to 11
Maximum Meteor Rate: 5 meteors per hour
Radiates: Bull
The Southern 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 occurs during several other meteor showers, you might spot one while you're looking for another. Comet 2P/Encke feeds this one and it peaks a few weeks from Halloween. This one is connected to the northern Taurids to form the Taurid meteor shower. However, they peak on different days, so they are often referred to as separate meteor showers.
Orionids
When: October 2 to November 12
Peak Date: From October 22 to 23
Maximum Meteor Rate: 20 meteors per hour
Radiates: Orion
Orionides is a reasonably active meteor shower that occurs mostly during October. It also has the distinction of coming from Halley's famous comet as well as the Eta Aquariidi shower. Unlike the Eta Aquariids, the Orionids emerge from the constellation Orion, which rises in the eastern sky in October. Also, the Moon will be practically new, so there will be one of the darkest skies of any meteor shower this year.
Draconids
When: From October 6 to 10
Peak Date: October 8
Maximum Meteor Rate: 10 meteors per hour
Radiates: Draco
Draconids is a smaller meteor shower and the shortest on the list, lasting all of four days. It originates from comet Giacobini-Zimmer 21/P and has a pretty decent peak of about 10 meteors per hour. The peak occurs just two days after it begins, and then the meteor shower ends two days later. The radiant for the Draconids is Draco, which is between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, 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 Meteor Rate: 5 meteors per hour
Radiates: Bull
The northern Taurids are the other half of the Taurid meteor shower and this one lasts even longer, from mid-October all the way to December. It peaks about halfway through its run on November 8, which is several weeks later than its southern counterpart. Otherwise, the two are practically identical. Both are powered by comet 2P/Encke and at best produce about five meteors per hour. For now, researchers believe this shower comes from a different segment of Comet Enke's path, which is why it's often listed separately from its southern cousin.
Leonidas
When: November 3 to December 2
Peak Date: November 16 to 17
Maximum Meteor Rate: 15 meteors per hour
Radiates: Leo
Just a few days after the peaks of the Northern Taurids, the Leonid shower will reach its peak. Created by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, the Leonids will originate in the constellation Leo, which rises in the eastern sky at exactly 2:00 a.m. local time for most of its run. This is a larger meteor shower than the Taurids, but a smaller shower than the Orionids. Since all four of them cross in the first week of November, it can be difficult to tell which meteor shower the shooting star is coming from. This is especially true since Taurus, Leo and Orion are in the eastern sky at this time of year. The Leonids often have fast, bright meteors that leave a trail, which may be the only way to distinguish the Leonid meteor from the other three showers.
Geminids
When: From December 4 to 20
Peak Date: From December 14 to 15
Maximum Meteor Rate: 120 meteors per hour
Radiates: Twins
The Geminids is one of the biggest meteor showers of the year, peaking less than two weeks from Christmas. It was 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, making them easier to see in brighter areas like cities or suburbs. It takes place during the cold season, but can put on quite a show if viewed outside the big city.
Ursids
When: December 17th to December 26th
Peak Date: From December 22 to 23
Maximum Meteor Rate: 10 meteors per hour
Radiates: Little Bear
The Ursids begin immediately after the Geminid cusp 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 featured a shooting star, it most likely came from the Ursids. The peak of the shower is reached on the evening of December 22 by Ursa Minor, which is easily visible in the night sky for most of the evening. Like the Draconids, it disappears almost as quickly as it appears, lasting only nine days in total.
Quadrantids
When:: From December 12, 2025 to January 12, 2026
Peak Date: 3 to 4 January 2026
Maximum Meteor Rate: 120 meteors per hour
Radiates: The Great Bear
The year ends just as it begins with the Quandrantids meteor shower. It starts at the beginning of December and ends by the New Year. So while it has the distinction of being the only meteor shower to occur twice a year, the peak is always in the first few days of January. Otherwise, it is the same meteor shower as the quadrantids listed above. So, we're going to use this space to deliver a fun fact. Most meteor showers are powered by comets, chunks of ice floating through the universe that leave long trails that, as Earth moves through them, create meteors. However, the Quadrantids are powered by 2003 EH, which is an asteroid, not a comet. Researchers believe that 2003 EH is potentially a comet that died and became an asteroid.