Russians are in for a powerful meteor shower during the New Year holidays. The Quadrantids meteor shower will reach its peak on the night of January 4. In terms of the number of "falling stars," it will be comparable to the most powerful December meteor shower, the Geminids, in 2024. Astronomers predict that up to 120 meteors per hour will be visible.
The press service of the Moscow Planetarium reported that on the night of December 14, Saturday, the peak of activity of the Geminids meteor shower, caused by the comet 3200 Phaeton, was recorded.
At the beginning of 2025, the first meteor shower is expected — the Quadrantids. It can be observed on the night of January 4. Meteors will be visible above the eastern horizon after midnight and until dawn.
At the peak of the Quadrantids meteor shower, up to 120 meteors per hour are expected, which is 1–2 meteors per minute in clear skies.
The Quadrantids meteor shower is active from December 12 to January 12. Its name comes from the obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis, which is no longer used in modern astronomy. Currently, the area of meteor origin, or radiant, is located under the "handle" of the Big Dipper in the constellation Boötes.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that on January 4, when observing the Sun from Earth, its disk will appear particularly large. On this day, our planet will approach the star at the maximum distance — to the point of its orbit known as perihelion. particularly large.
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