A day after fireworks usher in the new year, the sky will deliver its own light display with the first meteor shower of 2026 and a supermoon.
Fireballs from the Quadrantids meteor shower began streaking across the night sky on Dec. 28 and are expected to continue through January 12, according to the American Meteor Society. Peak activity is expected between Friday and Saturday.
Best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, the Quadrantids could be the strongest shower of the year. They are considered among the best by skywatchers — and also one of the toughest to catch.
Their peak lasts only six hours and often coincides with January’s frigid temperatures and cloudy skies, the American Meteor Society said. This year’s first full moon will likely make the shower even harder to see.
Light from the first full moon of January — known as the Wolf Moon — will wash out all but the brightest meteors. Rates could fall below 10 per hour even in dark skies.
The Wolf Moon is expected to reach peak illumination on Saturday at 4:03 a.m. Central Time, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
How to see the shower, supermoon
The Quadrantids and the supermoon are best viewed away from light pollution during the night and predawn hours, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Spectators are advised to lie back and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible, and to allow at least 30 minutes for their eyes to adjust to the dark.
The celestial event will also be livestreamed on YouTube, including coverage by social media influencer TheRealPax.
For those hoping to photograph the supermoon, NASA recommends turning off the flash, lowering screen brightness and focusing the camera directly on the moon to avoid blurry images.
Origins of the Wolf Moon, Quadrantids
January’s full moon is traditionally known as the Wolf Moon, a name linked to the howling of wolves during winter months as they locate pack members, define territory and coordinate hunting, the Old Farmer’s Almanac said.
About 25% of full moons are supermoons, and January’s Wolf Moon is one of them.
A supermoon occurs when the moon reaches its closest point to the Earth while in full form. At that distance, it can appear up to 14% larger than when it is farthest away, roughly the size difference between a quarter and a nickel.
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through swarms of debris left behind by flying comets. The Quadrantids, in particular, take their name from Quadrans Muralis, an 18th-century constellation that has since been defunct.
NASA said both the meteor shower and the constellation were named after an instrument called the quadrant, once used to observe and plot star positions. The Quadrantids were first observed in 1825.