Will I see the Quadrantids 2027?
A sharp peak of only a few hours, and January nights are cold and often cloudy. When the timing works it rivals the Perseids.
Worth a look
Up to about 18 meteors an hour from a dark place near London around 18:40, with a thin crescent (14% lit), set by the best hour. In a city, about 4.
From your city, 3–4 Jan
Meteors an hour at the best moment of the peak night (local time), from a dark place nearby and from the city itself, and how often the sky was clear on that night (2014–2025).
UK & Ireland
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 18:40 | 18/h | 4/h | 44% |
| Manchester | 18:40 | 21/h | 5/h | 26% |
| Birmingham | 18:40 | 20/h | 5/h | 41% |
| Bristol | 17:40 | 19/h | 5/h | 33% |
| Cardiff | 17:40 | 19/h | 5/h | 32% |
| Newcastle | 18:40 | 23/h | 6/h | 27% |
| Glasgow | 18:40 | 25/h | 6/h | 30% |
| Edinburgh | 18:40 | 25/h | 6/h | 31% |
| Belfast | 18:40 | 24/h | 6/h | 24% |
| Dublin | 18:40 | 22/h | 5/h | 33% |
Europe
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 18:25 | 15/h | 4/h | 22% |
| Amsterdam | 19:40 | 18/h | 4/h | 16% |
| Brussels | 18:25 | 16/h | 4/h | 25% |
| Berlin | 19:40 | 17/h | 4/h | 28% |
| Munich | 17:55 | 12/h | 3/h | 20% |
| Zurich | 18:10 | 12/h | 3/h | 33% |
| Vienna | 17:40 | 11/h | 3/h | 18% |
| Copenhagen | 19:40 | 21/h | 5/h | 35% |
| Stockholm | 19:40 | 25/h | 6/h | 12% |
| Oslo | 19:40 | 27/h | 7/h | 25% |
| Helsinki | 20:40 | 26/h | 6/h | 18% |
| Reykjavík | 18:40 | 39/h | 10/h | 29% |
| Madrid | 19:10 | 7/h | 2/h | 46% |
| Barcelona | 18:40 | 8/h | 2/h | 55% |
| Lisbon | 03:40 | 5/h | 1/h | 38% |
| Rome | 02:40 | 7/h | 2/h | 67% |
| Athens | 03:25 | 8/h | 2/h | – |
North America
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 06:10 | 10/h | 2/h | 56% |
| Boston | 05:55 | 9/h | 2/h | 61% |
| Washington DC | 06:10 | 10/h | 2/h | 66% |
| Atlanta | 06:40 | 11/h | 3/h | 66% |
| Miami | 06:10 | 8/h | 2/h | 63% |
| Chicago | 06:10 | 13/h | 3/h | 62% |
| Dallas | 06:25 | 12/h | 3/h | 69% |
| Denver | 06:10 | 16/h | 4/h | 64% |
| Phoenix | 06:25 | 16/h | 4/h | 79% |
| Los Angeles | 05:55 | 18/h | 5/h | 70% |
| San Francisco | 06:10 | 20/h | 5/h | 69% |
| Seattle | 06:40 | 25/h | 6/h | 48% |
| Toronto | 06:40 | 12/h | 3/h | 43% |
| Montreal | 06:10 | 10/h | 3/h | 41% |
| Vancouver | 06:40 | 25/h | 6/h | 44% |
| Calgary | 07:10 | 23/h | 6/h | 58% |
Australia, New Zealand & South Africa
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | – | 0/h | 0/h | 43% |
| Melbourne | – | 0/h | 0/h | 49% |
| Brisbane | – | 0/h | 0/h | 41% |
| Perth | – | 0/h | 0/h | 73% |
| Auckland | – | 0/h | 0/h | – |
| Christchurch | – | 0/h | 0/h | – |
| Cape Town | – | 0/h | 0/h | 59% |
The coming years
The moon decides most years. From a dark place near London at the best time:
| Year | Peak night (UK) | Moon | Meteors/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 3–4 Jan | 14% | 18 |
| 2028 | 3–4 Jan | 41% | 31 |
| 2029 | 2–3 Jan | 93% | 26 |
| 2030 | 3–4 Jan | 0% | 20 |
Quadrantids in numbers
- Active
- Dec 28 – Jan 12
- Radiant
- Boötes (RA 230°, Dec +49°)
- Speed
- 41 km/s
- Parent
- asteroid 2003 EH1
- Best from
- the northern hemisphere
Other showers coming up
Northern Taurids
Quiet showerUp to 5 an hour in perfect skiesLeonids
Worth a lookUp to 15 an hour in perfect skiesGeminids
Great yearUp to 150 an hour in perfect skiesUrsids
Quiet showerUp to 10 an hour in perfect skiesQuadrantids: questions
It peaks at 18:40 UTC on 3 January 2027, so the best night is 3–4 January 2027 in the UK. It is active from Dec 28 – Jan 12.
In perfect skies up to 80 an hour (the ZHR). From a dark place near London, about 18 an hour at the best time; near New York 10; near Sydney 0. From a town, about a fifth of that.
Around 18:40 in the UK on the peak night, when the radiant in Boötes is 13° high and the moon is down. Check your own city above.
Dust from asteroid 2003 EH1. The Earth crosses its trail every year; the bits burn up at 41 km/s about 100 km up. They seem to come from Boötes, which gives the shower its name.
From airport weather records 2014–2025, the sky on the Quadrantids peak nights was on average 44% clear in London, 56% in New York and 43% in Sydney. Every city is in the table above.