Peak January 3–4, 2027 · waning crescent (~23% lit), minimal interference · up to ~110/hr · medium-paced (41 km/s) · radiant in Boötes.
The Quadrantids can rival the Geminids — up to ~120 meteors an hour — but with a catch: the peak is razor-sharp, lasting only a few hours. Catch it and it's spectacular; miss it and you'll see little. 2027 is a favourable year, with only a thin, late-rising crescent Moon leaving the crucial pre-dawn hours dark. They're named for a constellation that no longer exists (Quadrans Muralis) and come from the asteroid 2003 EH1.
When it peaks in 2027 — and the Moon
The Quadrantids peak in 2027 falls on the night of January 3–4, 2027. That night the Moon is a waning crescent, around 23% lit — only a thin waning crescent low in the pre-dawn sky — so moonlight interference is minimal. As every year, the Quadrantids are best in the dark hours after midnight, when the radiant climbs high and the meteor rate builds toward dawn.
Where to look
The radiant is in northern Boötes, between the Big Dipper's handle and the head of Draco. It rises late and is highest before dawn, making the Quadrantids a pre-dawn, northern-hemisphere shower. Because the peak is so narrow, timing matters more than for any other shower — check the predicted maximum for your longitude.
What to expect
Up to ~110 meteors an hour at the very peak from a dark northern sky — realistically only if that few-hour maximum lines up with a dark, clear pre-dawn where you are. In 2027 the Moon cooperates; the limiting factors are the narrow peak and January weather. Away from the maximum, rates fall off fast.
What to bring
The Quadrantids are a naked-eye event — comfort matters more than optics.
- A reclining or zero-gravity chair — you'll be looking up for a while
- A red-light headlamp — preserves your night vision
- Warm layers, a hat and a blanket — you cool off fast lying still
- A hot drink and patience — give your eyes 20+ minutes to adapt
Frequently asked
When do the Quadrantids peak in 2027?
The night of January 3–4, 2027, but the maximum is extremely brief — only a few hours wide. Whether it lands in your local pre-dawn window makes or breaks the show.
How is the Moon in 2027?
Favourable. Only a thin waning crescent rises late, so the prime pre-dawn hours — when the radiant is highest — stay dark.
Why are the Quadrantids so hard to catch?
Their peak is the sharpest of any major shower, lasting just a few hours rather than a night or two. Cloud, a low radiant early in the night, and simple bad timing across time zones all cut into the count.
What's the strange name about?
They radiate from a region once assigned to Quadrans Muralis, an obsolete constellation dropped from the modern list — the name stuck even though the constellation didn't.
The full Quadrantids guide · All meteor showers · Tonight's sky →