First meteor shower of 2025 to light up the night sky
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The first meteor shower of the year is expected to light up the sky on Friday night, with stargazers in the UK to see up to 50 “shooting stars” an hour. The Quadrantid meteor shower, which returns every year in early January, is expected to peak on Friday – but meteors will remain visible in the sky until January 12, according to the Royal Astronomical Society.
Dr Robert Massey, deputy director of the Royal Astronomical Society, said observers hoping to catch a glimpse of the celestial fireworks after sunset will need to get “as far away from light pollution as possible”. He said the showers “have a pretty strong intensity if you happen to be in the right place at the right time”.
Dr Massey added: “They won’t be the brightest meteors on the whole, but (the Quadrantids) do include a fair number of fireballs. “A fireball is a dramatic sounding thing but what it really means is a really bright meteor. “The Quadrantids is a meteor shower which produces that kind of event.
“So for that reason alone, if you have the time to look out and the weather is good, then do take a look because it’s a perfect New Year treat.”. The only caveat is that this year’s Quadrantids have a “really sharp peak over a few hours”, Dr Massey added.
This means the rates of visible meteors in the UK will be lower than when the shower is at its most active at 3pm on Friday, when the country does not yet enjoy darkness. Luckier observers on the west coast of the US or in the Pacific region may see up to 70 or 80 meteors an hour, Dr Massey added.
