January Meteor Shower Offers Unique Winter Night Experience
The St. Louis region will witness the Quadrantid meteor shower peak late on January 3 through early January 4, delivering bright fireballs against the winter sky.
ST. LOUIS - The upcoming peak of the 2026 Quadrantid meteor shower in St. Louis is expected to reach its maximum activity late on Saturday, January 3, 2026, through the early hours of Sunday, January 4, 2026.
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The shower, known for producing bright fireballs, can deliver between 40 and over 100 meteors per hour under ideal conditions.
Early Wednesday morning, Dec. 31, 2025, in St. Louis, a green glow briefly lit up the northern sky before fading near the Gateway Arch, a phenomenon identified as a meteor burning up in Earth’s atmosphere.
Observers in St. Louis are advised that the Quadrantid meteor shower viewing window is narrow, with the peak predicted around 6:36 p.m. CST on Jan. 3, 2025, continuing through dawn on Jan. 4, 2025.
However, a full moon on Jan. 3, 2025, will illuminate the sky, reducing visibility for fainter meteors. Despite this, the Quadrantids’ bright fireballs may still be visible to those who look north-northeast toward the constellation Bootes, near the Big Dipper.
For optimal viewing, experts recommend traveling 45 to 60 minutes outside the city of St. Louis to areas with minimal light pollution.
NASA explains that objects seen streaking through the sky are classified based on their location: meteoroids in space, meteors when burning in the atmosphere, and meteorites if they survive to reach the ground. Shooting stars, or meteors, can occur at any time, according to experts.
The Quadrantid meteor shower remains active until Jan. 12, 2026, with the next major meteor shower expected in April.
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