Quadrantids 2027
Peak night: January 3, 2027 · Moon: 18% illuminated
The Quadrantids are active Dec 28 – Jan 12, radiating from Boötes, with up to ~110 meteors/hour under a perfect dark sky at peak. They are debris from asteroid 2003 EH1.
In 2027, the moon is 18% illuminated on the peak night: a good year: the moon is a manageable crescent.
How to watch
- No telescope, no binoculars, meteors are a naked-eye show. Bring a reclining chair and 30 minutes of patience for your eyes to adapt.
- The later the better: radiants climb after midnight, and rates climb with them.
- Darkness matters more than anything else. A Bortle 2 sky shows several times more meteors than a suburban one.
Where to watch from
The darkest measured skies in our directory, any of these turns a good shower into a memorable one. Each guide lists places to stay nearby, rated for the darkness at the hotel itself, so you can watch until the rates peak and sleep five minutes later:
- Cabeza Prieta Wilderness Arizona, United States · Sky Score 75/100 · stays
- Kofa Wilderness Arizona, United States · Sky Score 73/100 · stays
- Death Valley National Park Nevada, United States · Sky Score 73/100 · stays
- KOFA Pronghorn Protected Area Arizona, United States · Sky Score 73/100 · stays
- Queer Mountain Wilderness Study Area Nevada, United States · Sky Score 73/100 · stays
- Trigo Mountain Wilderness Arizona, United States · Sky Score 72/100 · stays
- Rawhide Mountains Wilderness Arizona, United States · Sky Score 72/100 · stays
- Grapevine Mountains Wilderness Study Area Nevada, United States · Sky Score 72/100 · stays