January is one of the least active months for people that enjoy hunting meteor showers. There are only 4 active events throughout the month and just two peak days. Thankfully, they are all mostly bright and highly visible.
Meteor showers are some of the coolest celestial events to witness. It is not necessary to use a telescope or binoculars to watch them, making them some of the most accessible as well for people that are just getting into astronomy and stargazing.
Every month there are a few meteor showers. They are very consistent and happen every year around the same dates and in the same location in the sky.
If you want to learn more about meteor showers, check out the following articles:
List of January meteor showers
The following are the meteor showers that will happen in the month of January.
The list is sorted by the peak date.
December Leonis Minorids (December 5 – February 4)
General Information
| Name | December Leonis Minorids |
| Start date | December 5 |
| End date | February 4 |
| Peak | December 20 |
| Comet | – |
| Speed | 64 km/s |
| Zenithal hourly rate | 5 |
| Brightness | Mid |
Location
| Constellation | Leo minor |
| Right ascension | 10.7 |
| Declination | 30° 00′ 00″ |
Quadrantids (December 28 – January 12)
General Information
| Name | Quadrantids |
| Start date | December 28 |
| End date | January 12 |
| Peak | January 3 |
| Comet | (196256) 2003 EH1 |
| Speed | 41 km/s |
| Zenithal hourly rate | 110 |
| Brightness | High |
Location
| Constellation | Bootes |
| Right ascension | 15h 28m |
| Declination | 50° 00′ 00″ |
Gamma Ursae Minorids (January 10 – January 22)
General Information
| Name | Gamma Ursae Minorids |
| Start date | January 10 |
| End date | January 22 |
| Peak | January 18 |
| Comet | unknown |
| Speed | 31 km/s |
| Zenithal hourly rate | 3 |
| Brightness | Mid |
Location
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Right ascension | 15.2 |
| Declination | 67° 00′ 00″ |
Alpha Centaurids (January 31 – February 20)
General Information
| Name | Alpha Centaurids |
| Start date | January 31 |
| End date | February 20 |
| Peak | February 8 |
| Comet | unknown |
| Speed | 58 km/s |
| Zenithal hourly rate | 6 |
| Brightness | High |
Location
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Right ascension | 14h 00m 00s |
| Declination | -10° 00′ 00″ |
Meteor shower guides for other months:
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December