The Quadrantid meteor shower, the first of the year, was expected to light up the skies of the UK and other parts of the Northern Hampshire skies. About 50 shooting stars are visible per hour. This annual event peaks in early January and will continue to be visible until January 12, according to the Royal Astronomical Society.
Dr. Robert Massey, the society’s deputy director, advised stargazers to head to areas with minimal light pollution for the best view. He explained that while these meteors may not be the brightest overall, the Quadrantids often include dramatic fireballs—exceptionally bright meteors that are a special feature of this shower. He encouraged people to take the opportunity to watch, calling it a “perfect New Year treat.”
This year’s peak viewing time occurred around 3 p.m. on Friday, which was during daylight in the UK, making the best meteor activity harder to see. However, viewers in darker regions, such as the west coast of the US or the Pacific, might spot up to 70–80 meteors per hour.
Meteors are tiny particles entering Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds, heating up due to friction with the air. This causes the air around them to glow, creating the streaks of light we see as shooting stars. The Quadrantid meteors travel at speeds of around 40 km per second and burn up quickly, usually at altitudes above 80 km.
Meteor showers like this don’t require special equipment, making them easy to enjoy for anyone. However, capturing the perfect photo might require advanced photography gear rather than just a smartphone, Dr. Massey noted.
The Quadrantid meteor shower, active annually from late December to mid-January, is best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. In Sri Lanka, located closer to the equator, observing this meteor shower is more challenging due to the low position of the shower’s radiant point in the sky. The radiant—the area from which the meteors appear to originate—is situated near the constellation Boötes, which doesn’t rise very high above the horizon in Sri Lanka.
