Heads up, early risers! The Daytime Arietid meteor shower is back for its 2025 appearance—and this year, Baja residents and visitors in Los Cabos have a front-row seat to one of the most active meteor showers of the year.
Running from May 29 through June 24, the Arietids might not have the name recognition of the Perseids or Geminids, but they pack a real punch. During peak activity—expected around mid-June—observers could spot up to 50 meteors per hour streaking across the sky. That’s right, 50. Per. Hour.
But there’s a catch: you’ll have to be up before dawn.
Unlike other showers that light up the night sky, the Arietids are known as a daytime meteor shower, meaning the radiant point—the place in the sky where the meteors appear to come from—is only visible just before sunrise, low in the eastern sky near the constellation Aries.
While most of the meteors occur during the day when sunlight drowns them out, those who venture out before dawn might catch a surprising number of bright streaks across the morning twilight. All you need is a clear eastern horizon, a bit of patience, and preferably no city lights. Bonus points if you bring coffee.
The Arietids are believed to be associated with the Marsden group of comets or possibly the asteroid 1566 Icarus, though astronomers are still scratching their heads about the exact origin.
So grab a chair, set that early alarm, and turn your gaze eastward. Even if you only catch a few shooting stars, it’s a great excuse to start your day with some cosmic magic over the Sea of Cortez.
(With sky-watching tips from Andrea Nunn.)