Quadrantids 2026: Peak Night, Best Time and Where to Look
Quadrantids 2026: peak in the night of 3–4 January 2026, up to 120 meteors an hour, moon 99% lit. Best time and direction for your city and 20 cities worldwide.
- Peak in the night of 3–4 January 2026. When and where to look – calculated for your city.
Quadrantids 2026 around the world
- Berlin: Best time 06:10 · Radiant height 68° · Direction east · Meteors/hour ~34
- London: Best time 06:00 · Radiant height 67° · Direction east · Meteors/hour ~34
- Paris: Best time 06:40 · Radiant height 65° · Direction east-northeast · Meteors/hour ~33
- Madrid: Best time 07:00 · Radiant height 61° · Direction east-northeast · Meteors/hour ~32
- Rome: Best time 05:50 · Radiant height 61° · Direction east-northeast · Meteors/hour ~32
- Vienna: Best time 05:50 · Radiant height 66° · Direction east-northeast · Meteors/hour ~33
- Zurich: Best time 06:20 · Radiant height 65° · Direction east-northeast · Meteors/hour ~33
- Amsterdam: Best time 06:40 · Radiant height 67° · Direction east · Meteors/hour ~34
- Warsaw: Best time 05:30 · Radiant height 66° · Direction east · Meteors/hour ~33
- Stockholm: Best time 06:00 · Radiant height 68° · Direction east-southeast · Meteors/hour ~34
- Lisbon: Best time 06:10 · Radiant height 58° · Direction east-northeast · Meteors/hour ~31
- New York: Best time 05:40 · Radiant height 61° · Direction east-northeast · Meteors/hour ~32
- Los Angeles: Best time 05:20 · Radiant height 54° · Direction northeast · Meteors/hour ~30
- Toronto: Best time 06:00 · Radiant height 62° · Direction east-northeast · Meteors/hour ~33
- Mexico City: Best time 05:50 · Radiant height 42° · Direction northeast · Meteors/hour ~25
- São Paulo: –
- Sydney: –
- Tokyo: Best time 05:20 · Radiant height 57° · Direction northeast · Meteors/hour ~30
- Beijing: Best time 05:50 · Radiant height 59° · Direction east-northeast · Meteors/hour ~31
- Delhi: Best time 05:50 · Radiant height 51° · Direction northeast · Meteors/hour ~28
About the Quadrantids
- A strong but brief shower peaking in early January. The narrow peak window of just 6 hours makes timing crucial. The meteors are often faint but can produce bright fireballs.
Questions about the Quadrantids 2026
- When is the Quadrantids peak in 2026? In the night of 3–4 January 2026. In Berlin the best time is around 06:10, when the radiant is high in a dark sky.
- How many meteors can you see? Under an ideal dark sky up to 120 an hour; in a city far fewer. In 2026 the moon is 99% lit that night.
- Where do you have to look? Anywhere: the meteors come from the radiant in Boötes but light up all over the sky. Lie down, look about halfway up and give your eyes 20 minutes to get used to the dark.