- The 2027 Quadrantids peak on the night of 3 Jan–4 Jan; active 28 Dec – 12 Jan.
- Up to 80 meteors an hour in a perfect sky; on the peak night in London about 13 from a dark site, about 4 from town.
- The Moon will not interfere: the sky will be dark.
- The radiant is in Boötes, highest around 06:30.
- Source: 2003 EH1; speed 41 km/s.
When to look in 2027
The Quadrantids are active from 28 Dec to 12 Jan. The curve shows activity rising and falling, the dots under it how much of the Moon is lit each night.
Night by night
For each night the best hour is computed: the radiant high, the sky dark, the Moon in the way least. A dark site means out of town where the faintest stars show; town means a bright suburban sky.
| Night | ZHR | Moon | Best | Dark site | Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 28 Dec | 0 | 66 % | 06:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Tue 29 Dec | 0 | 56 % | 06:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Wed 30 Dec | 0 | 45 % | 06:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Thu 31 Dec | 0 | 35 % | 06:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Fri 1 Jan | 0 | 26 % | 06:20 | <1 | <1 |
| Sat 2 Jan | 9 | 18 % | 06:20 | 5 | 2 |
| Sun 3 JanPeakmost meteors | 72 | 15 % | 18:00 | 13 | 4 |
| Mon 4 Jan | 1 | 9 % | 18:00 | <1 | <1 |
| Tue 5 Jan | 0 | 4 % | 18:00 | <1 | <1 |
| Wed 6 Jan | 0 | 1 % | 18:00 | <1 | <1 |
| Thu 7 Jan | 0 | 0 % | 18:00 | <1 | <1 |
| Fri 8 Jan | 0 | 1 % | 18:00 | <1 | <1 |
| Sat 9 Jan | 0 | 3 % | 18:00 | <1 | <1 |
Where to look
The meteors fly out of the radiant in Boötes. In London it stays above the horizon all night and is highest, 71°, around 06:30.
You do not have to look at the radiant itself: meteors appear all over the sky, and the longest ones 40–60° away from it. Lie back, take in as much sky as you can and stay with it for 20–30 minutes so your eyes adapt.
Where they come from
The Quadrantids come from asteroid 2003 EH1, most likely the remains of a comet that broke up long ago. The name comes from the defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis, dropped from the official list in the early 20th century; that patch of sky now belongs to Boötes, near the handle of the Big Dipper.
History
The shower was first described in Belgium in 1835. The Quadrantid peak is very short, only a few hours, because the dust stream is narrow. At the peak a perfect sky can give 80–120 meteors an hour, but a few hours later only a dozen or so.
What they look like and how to watch
With such a short peak, everything depends on its hour: if it falls in daylight where you are, there will be few meteors. From northern Europe the radiant never sets: low in the north in the evening, highest before dawn. Medium speed (41 km/s), with the odd bright fireball.
How many meteors you will really see
The ZHR (80) is how many meteors an observer would see in an hour in a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. The real count is always lower: the lower the radiant, the more meteors stay below the horizon, and every step of sky brightness hides the faintest ones.
This page uses the International Meteor Organization formula: hourly rate = ZHR × sine of the radiant altitude ÷ r^(6.5 − limiting magnitude). For this shower r = 2.1. A dark site is taken as showing stars to magnitude 6.0, a town to 4.5; moonlight takes off up to 1.8 magnitudes.
How to photograph a meteor
You need a camera with manual mode and a tripod. Wide-angle lens (14–24 mm), aperture wide open (f/1.8–f/2.8), ISO 1600–3200, exposures of 15–25 seconds. Focus manually on a bright star and tape the ring.
Shoot continuously with an intervalometer or remote, frame after frame for an hour or more. Meteors are random, so patience wins: one or two an hour is a normal catch. Aim 40–60° from the radiant, above the glow of the horizon.
Dates in the coming years
| Year | Peak | Moon |
|---|---|---|
| 2028 | Monday · 3 January 2028 | 40 % |
| 2029 | Tuesday · 2 January 2029 | 92 % |
| 2030 | Wednesday · 2 January 2030 | 1 % |
| 2031 | Friday · 3 January 2031 | 79 % |
| 2032 | Saturday · 3 January 2032 | 69 % |
| 2033 | Sunday · 2 January 2033 | 5 % |
Other meteor showers
Questions people ask
When are the Quadrantids in 2027?
The peak is on the night of 3 Jan–4 Jan. The shower is active from 28 Dec to 12 Jan, so meteors show for several nights before and after.
What time is best?
In London on the peak night, around 18:00, when the radiant is 15° up and the Moon interferes least.
How many meteors will I see?
A ZHR of 80 is the perfect-sky figure. In London on the peak night expect about 13 an hour from a dark site and about 4 from town.
Which way should I look?
Meteors come from the direction of Boötes but appear all over the sky. Look 40–60° away from the radiant, at the darkest part of the sky.
What causes the Quadrantids?
Dust left by 2003 EH1. The Earth crosses the stream at the same time every year, and the grains burn up in the atmosphere at 41 km/s.
Will the Moon get in the way?
The Moon will not interfere: the sky will be dark.
- International Meteor Organization, Meteor Shower Calendar: activity periods, solar longitudes of the peaks, ZHR, population index.
- IMO Visual Observing Handbook: the hourly rate formula (ZHR, radiant altitude, limiting magnitude).
- Astronomy Engine (Don Cross): positions of the Sun, the Moon and the radiant.
- JPL Small-Body Database: comet and asteroid orbits.
The peak date is computed from the Sun's ecliptic longitude. The activity curve is the IMO model ZHR(λ) = ZHRmax · 10^(−B·|λ − λmax|). For each night the radiant altitude and the Sun and Moon are computed every 20 minutes; the hour with the highest expected count is shown.