This January, a supermoon and the Quadrantid meteor shower will light up the night sky, but they may compete for your attention. The peak of the Quadrantids falls from Friday night to Saturday morning, and typically, in dark skies, you could see about 25 meteors an hour. This time, though, expect fewer than 10. The bright supermoon could wash out many of the meteors.
According to Mike Shanahan from the Liberty Science Center, “The biggest enemy of enjoying a meteor shower is the full moon.” Meteor showers happen when space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere, burning up and creating what we see as shooting stars. While some meteors are visible on clear nights, major showers occur when Earth passes through streams of space debris.
Supermoons happen when a full moon is closer to Earth. This makes it appear larger and brighter—up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the faintest full moon, as per NASA. While supermoons can be seen almost anywhere at night, the Quadrantids are mostly visible from the Northern Hemisphere, and you don’t need any special tools to see them.
To catch the Quadrantids, head out early in the evening, away from city lights, and watch for bright meteors before the moon brightens the sky too much. Jacque Benitez from the Morrison Planetarium suggests also looking during the early morning hours of Sunday.
Give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness, and avoid looking at your phone. You’ll see fast-moving white dots scattered across the sky.
Meteor showers get their names from the constellations where they seem to originate. The Quadrantids are linked to an old constellation that’s no longer recognized. These meteors come from asteroid 2003 EH1.
Looking ahead, the next major shower, the Lyrids, will occur in April. Supermoons happen several times a year, often in clusters, when the moon is in a sweet spot of its orbit. Saturday night’s supermoon wraps up a four-month streak. The next supermoon won’t occur until the end of 2026.
Research shows that clear skies and decreased light pollution can significantly enhance your meteor-viewing experience. Observing them can evoke feelings of wonder and connection to the universe shared on platforms like social media, where many people express their astonishment and curiosity about such cosmic events.
For more details on meteor showers, check out the American Meteor Society.
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General news, Planets, Astronomy, Meteors and meteorites, U.S. news, World news, Lifestyle, Science, Article, 128777701
