How to Watch the Final Meteor Shower of 2025

If you want to get into stargazing successful 2025, you inactive person the chance: there’s 1 last meteor ablution to drawback this year. Also known arsenic shooting stars, meteors hap erstwhile Earth’s orbital way crosses a way of debris near by a comet and that worldly burns up successful the Earth’s atmosphere. Watching a meteor ablution is 1 of the astir accessible ways to prosecute with the nighttime sky.

The adjacent ablution are the Ursids, which volition beryllium progressive successful the lead-up to Christmas. This is the ninth and last large meteor ablution to grace skies successful 2025. Details of erstwhile these showers volition look again adjacent twelvemonth successful the bluish hemisphere are listed below—so people your 2026 calendar for these.

2025’s Final Meteor Shower: The Ursids

The Ursids are progressive astir December 17 to December 26, peaking successful the aboriginal greeting hours of December 22. This meteor ablution is little progressive than others, typically yielding astir 10 meteors per hour; however, viewing conditions volition beryllium cleanable for entity watching. The satellite volition acceptable astatine astir 6 p.m. successful the eastbound US connected the 21st, truthful nary moonlight volition interfere with this meteor shower.

Even though the Ursids typically nutrient the astir meteors conscionable earlier dawn, erstwhile its radiant, the Little Dipper (or Ursa Minor), is highest successful the sky, you volition beryllium capable to spot meteors passim the full nighttime during this shower’s peak. In bluish latitudes the Ursids’ radiant is supra the skyline each night.

How to Watch a Meteor Shower

You don’t request immoderate peculiar instrumentality to spot a meteor shower—in fact, utilizing devices similar binoculars oregon telescopes really prevents you from seeing meteors, due to the fact that they question excessively accelerated to beryllium seen done the lenses of specified equipment. All you request are your eyes, a acheronian entity with small to nary moonlight, and a determination that’s distant from excess light, arsenic moonlight and airy contamination tin lavation retired shooting stars.

Note that the satellite appears (rises) and disappears (sets) successful the nighttime entity astatine antithetic times depending connected what clip portion you are in. All moonrise/moonset times successful this portion are for the eastbound US. You tin usage tools similar Time and Date’s moonrise/moonset calendar oregon this instrumentality from the US Naval Observatory to cheque the precise moonrise/moonset times successful your nonstop location.

You should let your eyes astir fractional an hr to set to the darkness. If you request to usage a flashlight portion outside, usage 1 with reddish airy alternatively of achromatic to sphere your nighttime vision.

Each meteor ablution is named aft its radiant, oregon the constellation that the ablution appears to travel from. A meteor shower’s radiant usually needs to beryllium supra the skyline earlier you tin spot the meteors. You don’t request to look straight astatine the radiant to spot meteors; shooting stars volition beryllium disposable passim the full entity erstwhile the radiant has risen.

If you request assistance uncovering a shower’s radiant, you tin usage an app similar Stellarium, which tin besides archer you erstwhile the radiant volition beryllium supra the skyline successful your nonstop location. If you truly privation to maximize the fig of meteors you’ll see, you should ticker the entity erstwhile the shower’s radiant reaches its highest constituent successful the sky. However, you don’t request to hold until the radiant is astatine its highest to bask the show—as agelong arsenic the radiant is supra the horizon, you should beryllium capable to spot plentifulness of shooting stars.

Showers to Look Out for Next Year

The Quadrantids (January)

The Quadrantids instrumentality spot successful December and January and highest during the archetypal week of the year. This meteor ablution has a crisp peak, meaning that astir of its enactment occurs successful a constrictive model of time. The Quadrantids typically nutrient galore fireball meteors—that is, meteors that are precise bright—with up to 120 meteors per hr during the shower’s peak.

The Quadrantids’ radiant is the constellation Quadrans Muralis, though the International Astronomical Union nary longer recognizes this radical of stars arsenic a constellation. In its spot is the constellation Boötes, which is adjacent to the Big Dipper.

The Lyrids (April)

The Lyrids are progressive successful the 2nd fractional of April, with their highest lasting astir 3 nights. You tin expect to spot astir 15 to 20 meteors per hr nether perfect viewing conditions during the Lyrids’ peak. Under optimal viewing conditions, the stargazing website Earth Sky notes, astir a 4th of Lyrids shooting stars nutrient persistent trains—lingering streaks of airy that are the effect of gases being ionized arsenic the meteors participate Earth’s atmosphere.

The Lyrids’ radiant, the constellation Hercules, rises good earlier midnight, truthful meteors are disposable each night, but are astir apt to beryllium seen conscionable earlier dawn, erstwhile the radiant reaches its highest constituent successful the sky.

The Eta Aquariids (May)

The Eta Aquariids are progressive astir from mid-April to the extremity of May. This meteor ablution does not person a crisp peak: Elevated enactment lasts astir a week, with enactment peaking for 1 nighttime successful the archetypal week of May.

In the bluish hemisphere, the Eta Aquariids are a medium-strength ablution that produces astir 10 to 30 meteors per hour. According to the American Meteor Society, galore of these meteors nutrient persistent trains. One different happening that makes the Eta Aquariids other peculiar is that these meteors are really remnants of the celebrated Halley’s Comet.

The Eta Aquariids’ radiant, the constellation Aquarius, appears precise debased successful the entity successful the bluish hemisphere successful April and won’t commencement to highest supra the eastbound skyline until aft 2 americium section time. However, meteors from this ablution are inactive disposable adjacent erstwhile the radiant is conscionable beneath the horizon.

The Southern Delta Aquariids (July–August)

The Southern Delta Aquariids are progressive from mid-July to mid- to precocious August, producing highest enactment for astir a week astatine the extremity of July. Unlike immoderate different meteor showers, the Southern Delta Aquariids don’t person a crisp peak. Instead, the fig of meteors per hr gradually increases and past dilatory decreases during the play of activity.

The Southern Delta Aquariids’ radiant is the constellation Aquarius.

Although this meteor ablution typically yields meteors that are somewhat dimmer and bash not person persistent trains, this meteor ablution is inactive worthwhile: You’ll beryllium capable to spot astir 25 shooting stars per hr successful perfect viewing conditions.

The Perseids (July–August)

The Perseids are besides progressive from mid-July to mid- to precocious August but highest astir 2 weeks aft the Southern Delta Aquariids.

The Perseids are 1 of the strongest and brightest meteor showers of the year, producing 100 to 150 meteors per hr nether acheronian skies. However, the fig of meteors drops disconnected sharply aft the peak.

The Perseids often output agleam fireball meteors, and astir a 3rd of the Perseids person persistent trains. Shooting stars successful this ablution are besides known for being peculiarly colorful: Most person a greenish oregon bluish color, but these meteors tin nutrient yellow, red, purple, oregon pinkish hues arsenic well.

The Perseids look to radiate from the constellation Perseus.

The Orionids (September–November)

The Orionids are progressive from precocious September until precocious November and person a gradual highest owed to the space astatine which Earth crosses the way of this way of comet debris. The Orionids nutrient highest enactment for astir a week, successful the 2nd fractional of October.

The Orionids typically output astir 20 to 25 meteors per hr during their highest and are known for being peculiarly bright—many of the Orionids are fireball meteors. Like the Eta Aquariids, the Orionids are debris near down by Halley’s Comet.

The Orionids look to radiate from the constellation Orion.

The Leonids (November–December)

The Leonids are progressive astir for the magnitude of November. They person a crisp peak, producing the astir meteors overnight astir the mediate of the month. During the Leonids’ peak, you tin expect to spot astir 15 meteors per hr nether acheronian skies.

Although the Leonids nutrient less meteors than galore different of the large meteor showers, they are known for producing fast-moving, bright, fireball meteors.

The Leonids’ radiant is the constellation Leo, which rises astir midnight section clip and is highest successful the entity astir dawn.

The Geminids (December)

The Geminids are progressive from aboriginal to mid-December, and person a crisp highest that adjacent twelvemonth volition beryllium astir December 14.

The Geminids are the astir spectacular meteor ablution of the year. In summation to boasting up to 120 oregon adjacent 150 meteors per hr during its peak, this meteor ablution is besides the brightest and astir colorful of the year.

The Geminids are bright, slow-moving meteors that often person yellowish tones, but they tin beryllium a scope of different colors, including green, blue, white, red, oregon orange. And dissimilar astir meteors, which are caused by comet debris, the Geminids are the remnants of an asteroid.