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If New Year's is all about dreaming big and reaching for the stars, then the universe is sending New Yorkers a very good omen for 2025.
During the first week of the new year, a giant meteor shower will be visible across the city, with up to 40 visible shooting stars per hour. Then we'll get another treat towards the middle of the month, when Mars will be in its biggest and brightest form of the year.
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For the first five days of the year, the Quadrantid meteor shower will appear across the New York sky, and the best day to observe it will be January 3 just before dawn, when it's expected to peak. As of now, skies are expected to be clear on those dates, so make sure that you're prepared for the rare and optimal viewing conditions.
As with any astrological phenomenon, the bright lights of the city can make it more difficult to actually be able to see the stars. To increase your chances of seeing the meteor showers, try to find an area of the city with less lights, such as a large park or cemetery. Wait for your eyes to adjust to the darkness and be patient—it could take some time to find the meteor showers with the naked eye.
If you'd like a little more guidance, The Amateur Astronomers Association hosts free public viewings and the sessions take place across several spaces, including Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side and Lincoln Center’s Hearst Plaza. If you’re down to travel just outside of the city, the Vanderbilt Space Observatory in Long Island boasts a giant 16-inch meade Cassegrain-style telescope for optimal stargazing. As usual, getting out of the city—even if it’s just a few miles upstate in the Hudson Valley—will increase your chances of catching a better glimpse of the shooting stars.
This won't be the only rare astrological phenomenon New Yorkers will be able to witness this month: On January 13, Mars will move behind the moon at 9:21pm and reappear on the other side about an hour later, a rare phenomenon known as occultation, per Gothamist.
January is one of the best months of the year to observe celestial phenomena, since we get more hours of pitch blackness where the stars and planets are actually visible. Although we're not looking forward to blue Monday, the galaxy is giving us something to look forward to on an otherwise dreary month.