2025 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for sky-watching in the Southern Hemisphere, and we’ve got a front-row seat to some of the best meteor showers of 2025.
The year ahead promises great opportunities for West Australian stargazers, skywatchers, and amateur astronomers to witness shooting stars, so keep reading for our pick of the best celestial fireworks displays, including key info on where to look and what to expect.
The eta Aquariids (also written as η-Aquariid) meteor shower peaks in the early morning of 6th May.
What to expect in 2025
The eta Aquariids are one of the Southern Hemisphere’s best meteor showers, and under dark skies you could see as many as 50 shooting stars an hour.
The meteor shower is famous for producing fast, long-lived meteors that leave glowing trails across the dark sky.
How to see the eta Aquariids meteor shower
The Moon is in its first quarter phase, and it will set before 2am AWST, long before the meteor shower’s best viewing.
The meteor shower rises above the eastern horizon around 1.45am, with the best viewing in hours before dawn. The meteors seem to come from the Aquarius constellation. Read more here.
The Southern delta Aquariids (you might see it written as Southern δ-Aquariiid) meteor shower peaks in the morning of 30th July.
What to expect in 2025
The Southern delta Aquariid meteor showers offers sky watchers a reliable performance, with moderate rates per hour, and the occasional bright meteors.
Stargazers in Western Australia are well-placed for catching the Southern delta Aquariids in 2025. Because the Moon is in its first quarter phase, it won’t interfere with watching the meteor shower.
How to see the Southern delta Aquariids meteor shower
The Southern Delta Aquariids appear to radiate from the star Delta Aquarii in the constellation of Aquarius. The radiant point rises over the eastern horizon after 7.30pm, and is visible until dawn. Read more here.
The Orionids meteor shower is best seen before dawn around 21st October. The meteor shower is caused by Earth flying through the debris field of dust, ice, and rocks left over from the tail of Halley’s Comet.
What to expect in 2025
Watch out for an average of 10 to 20 yellowish-green meteors per hour as Earth flies through the comet’s debris field.
The Orionids might be a little faint but the meteors sometimes leave persistent trails, so make sure you head somewhere dark to enjoy the celestial fireworks.
How to see the Orionids meteor shower
The radiant of the Orionids is between the constellations of Orion and Gemini on the north-east horizon. With the meteor shower’s peak arriving close to the New Moon on 21st October, stargazers can expect dark skies for peak viewing. Read more here.
The Leonids meteor shower is best seen around 2am on 18th November. The shooting stars are caused by debris left by Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which takes around 33 years to orbit the Sun once.
What to expect in 2025
The Leonids are known for being extremely fast, hitting our atmosphere at around 72km/s. They’re also known for dramatic outbursts, but those storms only happen about every 33 years, with the last big show in 1998-1999.
How to see the Leonids meteor shower
The radiant point of the Leonids is the Leo constellation which will be low on the eastern horizon. However, the New Moon will give skywatchers dark skies for the best chance of spotting meteors. Read more here.
The Geminids meteor shower is one of the most active and best meteor showers of 2025, peaking around 2am on 14 December.
The meteors are generated from asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which is one of NASA’s largest near-Earth asteroids classified as “potentially hazardous.”
What to expect in 2025
The Geminids are quite slow meteors, clocking in at around 35 km/s, but they’re famously bold and bright.
How to see the Geminids meteor shower
The radiant of the Geminids is the Gemini constellation, above the eastern horizon. The shower peaks close to the New Moon, so stargazers can hope for up to 50 meteors per hour under good conditions.
Read more here.
Grab your star charts, pack your sense of wonder, and head to an Astrotourism Town on a celestial adventure to catch one of the best meteor showers of 2025.
Keen to learn more? Head over to Astrotourism WA and read more about what’s up in the night sky, or grab a copy of the Astronomy Australia Almanac for 2025.
Jay Chesters
See 2025's best meteor showers in astrotourism towns
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