How to see the Quadrantid meteor shower
Tuesday night could see up to 110 meteors an hour in the sky over the UK

Astronomers and amateur stargazers are in for a “spectacular show” as the Quadrantid meteor shower hits its peak on Tuesday night, according to the Daily Mail.
The phenomenon is “renowned for producing bright ‘fireball’ meteors which leave large explosions of light and colour that persist longer than average meteor streaks”, said the paper. And more than 100 meteors an hour could appear across the sky tonight.
What is it?
The Royal Observatory Greenwich said the Quadrantid is “among the strongest and most consistent meteor showers, and could reach a maximum rate of 110 meteors per hour on a clear night”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Meteor showers occur when pieces of debris from space enter the atmosphere at speeds up to 70km per second, “vaporising and causing the streaks of light we call meteors”.
However, while most meteor showers originate from debris left behind by comets, the Quadrantid is a result of the Earth passing through the debris left behind by the near-Earth asteroid 2003 EH1, first identified by Nasa astronomer Peter Jenniskens in 2003.
Although its origins have been uncovered only fairly recently, Quadrantid meteor showers were first observed by Chinese astronomers more than 500 years ago.
Most other meteor showers have a two-day peak, but the Quadrantid peak is shorter, “due to the shower’s thin stream of particles and the fact that the Earth crosses the stream at a perpendicular angle”, said the Mail.
When and where to see it in the UK
While the total period of the meteor shower lasts for more than two weeks, the optimal time to see it in the UK will be the nights of Tuesday 3 January and Wednesday 4 January, peaking at 3am on the morning of 4 January.
“The most important thing,” said Sky News, “is to get yourself away from street lights and other sources of light pollution.” Quadrantids can be seen with the naked eye so there is no need for binoculars or a telescope but give your eyes 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness.
The Independent said that “several smartphone apps also offer tips and instructions for viewing the Quadrantid meteor shower, including using the phone’s inbuilt gyroscope and GPS location to point users in the right direction of where the meteors will appear”.
“Unfortunately, 2023 will not be a good year to look for the Quadrantid meteor shower,” said Space.com, with the full Moon on Friday providing extra light pollution of its own. Sky News said the weather is also not great for observing the night sky, with “rain forecast for much of the country, although the further north you go the clearer things look – the far northwest of Scotland looks mainly fine”.
For stargazers who want the best possible chance to see the shower – and are willing to brave the elements – ITV suggested visiting one of the UK’s “dark sky” reserves at one of six national parks: Exmoor, Brecon Beacons, Moore’s Reserve in the South Downs, Snowdonia, North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
France and Indonesia promote a contentious bid for an Israel-Palestine two-state solution
Talking Points Both countries have said a two-state solution is the way to end the Middle East conflict
-
Film reviews: Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch, and Final Destination: Bloodlines
Feature Tom Cruise risks life and limb to entertain us, a young girl befriends a destructive alien, and death stalks a family that resets fate's toll.
-
Music reviews: Morgan Wallen and Kali Uchis
Feature "I'm the Problem" and "Sincerely"
-
Full moon calendar: dates and times for every full moon this year
In depth When to see the lunar phenomenon every month
-
How to see the Lyrid meteor shower
The explainer A nice time to look to the skies
-
Katy Perry, Gayle King visit space on Bezos rocket
Speed Read Six well-known women went into lower orbit for 11 minutes
-
Space ads could be coming to a sky near you
Under the radar Making space for commercial profits
-
We could be living in a black hole
Under the radar And our universe may not be the only one
-
Dark energy may not doom the universe, data suggests
Speed Read The dark energy pushing the universe apart appears to be weakening
-
Chile's stargazing 'dark skies' are under threat
Under The Radar New chemical plant could spoil celebrated astronomical stronghold
-
Life after space: how will Nasa's stranded astronauts cope?
In the Spotlight Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore are headed back to Earth after nine months on the ISS – but their greatest challenge may still lie ahead