2025 is a year full of meteor showers: Here’s when the next one is

2025 stretches out before us with many possibilities, including a full schedule of meteor shower. They come every year like clockwork, and that means planning shooting star trips can be done months in advance. Here’s a look at when it’s happening and how you can watch.

Viewing Tips

To have the best chance of seeing the most meteors during a given shower, the first tip is to get as far away from a big city as logistically possible—and that goes for suburbanites, too. Light pollution is the enemy of space viewing, and most meteor showers are barely visible in the suburbs, let alone a major city. 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 depends on nature whether or not moonlight will affect viewing.

Quadrantids

When: Until Jan 16
Peak Date: January 2 to 3
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 120 meteors per hour
Radiant: The big bear

The New Year begins with a bang as the Quanrantids peak on January 2nd and 3rd. This is one of the largest meteor showers of the year, spawning 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: March 14-15
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 6 meteors per hour
Radiant: Norma

Gamma Normids is a small meteor shower that appears 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 radiant is the constellation Norma, which is in the southern hemisphere. Keen sky watchers, however, may see some meteors on the horizon on a dark night during its peak in mid-March, and potentially a few more in the coming days and weeks. Most people probably won’t see anything, but it’s still there, throwing meteors.

Lyrids

When: April 15 to April 30
Peak Date: April 21 to 22
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 18 meteors per hour
Radiant: Lira

Things pick up again in April with the Lyrids meteor shower. Its radiant is Lyra, which will rise from the eastern sky each evening during its motion. 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 rain to its citizens. Interestingly, Lyrid meteors tend to be trailless, but they can produce some pretty bright fireballs.

And Aquariids

When: April 20 to May 21
Peak Date: May 3 to 4
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 50 meteors per hour
Radiant: Aquarius

1P/Halley, known as Halley’s Comet, is responsible for the Eta Aquariids and is the largest meteor shower to occur in the spring with up to 50 meteors per hour. The only downside is that its radiant, Aquarius, doesn’t rise from the southeastern sky until around 4 a.m. local time, meaning you’ll have to wake up very early or stay up super 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: July 29-30
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 5 meteors per hour
Radiant: Capricorn

Alpha Capricornids is a small meteor shower that came from comet 169P/NEAT. It’s not heavy rain, but it does have the distinction of producing rather large fireballs. It is also equally visible in the southern and northern hemispheres. The radiant for this one is Capricornus, which is poking through the southern sky and will be visible throughout the night at its peak. Fortunately, the moon won’t be too full, so it won’t obstruct the view too much.

Southern Delta Aquariids

When: July 28 to August 12
Peak Date: July 29-30
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 25 meteors per hour
Radiant: Aquarius

Southern Delta Aquarians often overshadow Alpha Capricorns. This meteor shower peaks early, just a day or two after it officially begins, and then dies down by mid-August. Its early peak puts it on the same day as Alpha Capricornus, so if you see a shooting star on July 29 or 30, it could be coming from both. The radiant for this one is Aquarius, which is right next to Capricorn, making the two souls a wonderful pair. Researchers aren’t 100% sure which comet gave us the Southern Delta Aquarids, although the best guess right now is 96P/Machholz.

Perseids

When: July 17 to August 23
Peak Date: Aug. 12 to 13
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 100 meteors per hour
Radiant: Perseus

The Perseids is one of the premier cosmic events that takes place during the summer. It comes from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and is one of the busiest meteor showers of the year. It also takes place in the summer, which is the perfect time for a meteor shower. The radiant is Perseus, which rises from the northeastern sky relatively early in the evening and stays awake all night. The only downside 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: October 10 to 11
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 5 meteors per hour
Radiant: Taurus

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’s happening during several other meteor showers, you might spot one while you’re looking for another. Comet 2P/Encke fuels this one and peaks a few weeks after Halloween. This one combined with the Northern Taurides to make the Tauride 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 Meteor Frequency: 20 meteors per hour
Radiant: Orion

The Orionids are a relatively active meteor shower that occurs mostly in October. It also has the distinction of coming from the famous Comet Halley, just like the Eta Aquariids. Unlike the Eta Aquariids, the Orionids come from the constellation Orion, which rises in the eastern sky in October. Also, the moon will be practically new, so it will have one of the darkest skies of any meteor shower this year.

Draconids

When: October 6 to October 10
Peak Date: October 8
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 10 meteors per hour
Radiant: Draco

The Draconids are a small meteor shower and the shortest on the list, lasting a full four days. It comes from comet 21/P Giacobini-Zimmer 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 the Ursa Major and the 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 Frequency: 5 meteors per hour
Radiant: Taurus

The Northern Taurids are the other half of the Taurid meteor shower, and this one lasts even longer, lasting from mid-October to December. It peaks around the middle of its cycle on November 8, which is several weeks later than its southern counterpart. Otherwise, the two are almost identical. Both are powered by Comet 2P/Encke and at their best produce about five meteors per hour. For now, researchers believe this shower came from a different segment of Comet Enke’s trail, 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 Frequency: 15 meteors per hour
Radiant: Leo

Just a few days after the Northern Taurids peak, the Leonid Stream will also peak. Created by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, the Leonids will come from the constellation Leo, which rises in the eastern sky at exactly 2 a.m. local time for most of its path. This is a larger meteor shower than the Taurids, but smaller than the Orionids. Since all four intersect in the first week of November, it can be difficult to tell which meteor shower a shooting star is coming from. This is especially true since Taurus, Leo and Orion are all 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 streams.

Geminids

When: December 4th to December 20th
Peak Date: December 14-15
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 120 meteors per hour
Radiant: Twins

The Geminids is one of the biggest meteor showers of the year and peaks less than two weeks after 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 make quite a show if viewed outside the big city.

Ursids

When: December 17th to December 26th
Peak Date: December 22-23
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 10 meteors per hour
Radiant: The little bear

The Ursids begin immediately 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 with a shooting star, it probably came from the Ursids. The shower peaks on the evening of December 22 from 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:: December 12, 2025 until January 12, 2026
Peak Date: 3 to 4 January 2026
Maximum Meteor Frequency: 120 meteors per hour
Radiant: The big bear

The year ends the same way it began with the Quanranthid meteor shower. It starts at the beginning of December and ends by the New Year. Thus, although it has the distinction of being the only meteor shower that occurs 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 provide a fun fact. Most meteor showers are powered by comets, chunks of ice floating in space 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 disappeared and became an asteroid.