Meteor showers 2025: Every event to mark on your calendar
From the mild meteor showers in the dog days of summer to the dazzling Geminids in December, you won't want to miss these cosmic light shows in 2025.
The Geminids over the Himalayas in Tibet (Getty Images)
Meteor showers are among the most popular astronomy events. From mild meteor showers in the dog days of summer to the breathtaking Geminids in December, these celestial events promise to light up the heavens with shooting stars and vibrant fireballs.
Whether you're an avid stargazer or just looking for a fun night under the night sky, meteor showers offer a perfect opportunity to connect with the cosmos and witness nature's own light show. Here is every meteor shower to mark on your calendar through the rest of 2025:
Pair of small summertime showers: July 29-30
Summer brings comfortable nights to spend under the stars, but there are not many meteor showers during the warmest season of the year. However, two meteor showers -- the Alpha Capricornids and the Southern Delta Aquarids -- will overlap in late July, combining for around 10 or 15 per hour on the night of July 29-30.
Perseid meteor shower: Aug. 12-13
Often touted as the best meteor shower of the year, the Perseids have the perfect combination of mild weather and an abundance of shooting stars. Under ideal conditions in mid-August, it boasts up to 100 meteors per hour, with the peak falling on Aug. 12-13.
The Perseid meteor shower is seen over the Ulanbum grassland in Chifeng city, Inner Mongolia, China, August 14, 2023. (Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
However, 2025 will not be the best year for the event as a nearly full moon will shine bright on the same night as the Perseids. Still, onlookers should still be able to see some of meteors when watching darker areas of the sky with the bright moon out of sight.
Orionid meteor shower: Oct. 22-23
October's Orionids is the second meteor shower that originates from Halley's Comet, peaking on the night of Oct. 22-23. It typically sparks between 15 and 20 meteors per hour, slightly less active than its counterpart, the Eta Aquarids. As a bonus, it is named after the famous constellation Orion, which starts to reemerge in autumn after an absence from the night sky during the summer.
Taurid meteor showers: Early November
Autumn is sometimes called meteor shower season for North America, as there are more meteor showers than at any other time of the year, including the Northern Taurids and Southern Taurids. The two are unique, having long, drawn-out peaks that span the first week or two of November. The drawback is that they only combine for 5 to 10 meteors per hour. But what they lack in quantity, they make up for with substance, as they are often rich in fireballs -- incredibly bright meteors that can light up the entire night sky for a few seconds.
Leonid meteor shower: Nov. 16-17
The Leonids is a typical meteor shower most years, on pace with others such as the Lyrids and Orionids with around 15 shooting stars per hour. That is once again the case in 2025, but history has shown that it has the potential to erupt into an unbelievable meteor frenzy.
An illustration depicting the 1833 Leonid meteor storm. (Edmund Weiß)
In 1966, thousands of meteors per minute flashed in the night sky during one of the rare Leonid meteor storms. These unbelievable events have occurred fewer than a dozen times since the start of the 19th century, most recently in 2002.
Geminid meteor shower: Dec. 12-13
The Geminid meteor shower in December is one of the best of the entire year, with as many as 100 to 150 meteors per hour. It is also one of the few meteor showers that is visible all night long, although the best part of the light show takes place after midnight. The only drawback is the fickle weather that is common across the country in mid-December, with most areas either under the chilly spell of Old Man Winter or under a veil of clouds amid the typical wintry weather patterns.
Ursid meteor shower: Dec. 21-22
The final meteor shower of 2025 will take place on the first night of astronomical winter, with the Ursids peaking on Dec. 21-22. The event is not nearly as impressive as the Geminis, with the Ursids featuring a meager 10 meteors per hour. However, it is one last chance for stargazers to see some shooting stars before the end of the year, especially those who may have missed the Geminids due to poor weather.
Why do we have meteor showers?
Meteors can streak through the sky on any night of the year, known as sporadic meteors. But to see a consistent stream of shooting stars, you will need to wait for a meteor shower.
Meteor showers occur when the Earth moves through a cloud of debris left behind by a comet or asteroid. Most of the debris is the size of a grain of sand or a small pebble, and when it enters the planet's atmosphere, it burns up and emits a bright light for a few brief seconds.
No two meteor showers are the same, and factors such as the weather and the amount of moonlight can interfere with viewing conditions.
Peak dates listed above are in accordance with the American Meteor Society.
The Perseid meteor shower above Alberta, Canada. (Getty Images/ Nick Fitzhardinge)
