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Jan
3-4

Peak Viewing Window

Quadrantids Meteor Shower 2026

Verdict
Poor
Effective Rate
18 meteors/hr

One of the most reliable and active annual meteor showers, known for producing bright blue meteors and fireballs, though its peak is famously brief.

Visibility Factors

🌔
Moon Phase
100% Illumination
Waxing Gibbous
Theoretical Max
120 meteors/hr
Reduced by 100% moon glow
Effective Rate
18 meteors/hr
* Based on moon interference. Light pollution and atmospheric conditions will further reduce these visible rates.

Viewing Tips for Quadrantids

The peak of the Quadrantids is very sharp, lasting only a few hours. Dress warm and start viewing in the early morning hours after the radiant rises in the northern sky.

Find the RadiantBoötes
Identify the constellation Boötes in the sky. Look slightly away from it to see longer, brighter streaks.
Parent Body CometThese meteors are cosmic debris left by (196256) 2003 EH1, which burning up in our upper atmosphere creates this annual display.