A remarkable astronomical phenomenon will herald the arrival of the New Year 2025, as the Quadrantid meteor shower, which has been observable since December 27, is set to reach its peak on January 3 and 4. Renowned as one of the premier annual meteor showers, the Quadrantids are distinguished by their brief yet intense peak and the frequent appearance of bright fireballs. Unlike most meteor showers that originate from comets, the Quadrantids are derived from the 2003 EH1 asteroid, which may be classified as either a “dead comet” or a “rock comet,” according to NASA. Meteor activity occurs when Earth traverses the debris left behind by a comet or asteroid. The Quadrantids exhibit a notably short peak duration, lasting only a few hours in early January each year, in contrast to the typical two-day peaks of other meteor showers. NASA explains that this brevity is attributed to the shower’s narrow stream of particles and the perpendicular angle at which Earth intersects this stream. During peak conditions, observers can expect to see between 60 and 200 Quadrantid meteors per hour.
The name “Quadrantids” is derived from the now-defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis, which was introduced by French astronomer Jerome Lalande in 1795 but has since been removed from the International Astronomical Union’s list of recognized constellations. The Quadrantids will remain active until January 16, 2025, with the peak viewing period occurring on the night of January 2-3, 2025 (January 3-4 in India). Sumit Srivastava, a senior scientific officer at the Indira Gandhi Planetarium in Lucknow, has indicated that the Quadrantids will be visible in the city on January 3 and 4, with an anticipated visibility of 80 to 120 meteors per hour during this time. As the meteor shower will be most visible in the early morning hours, the planetarium plans to provide telescopes for public observation of this celestial event. The Quadrantids are best observed in the Northern Hemisphere and will remain active until Thursday.
