You get star fragments in Animal Crossing New Horizons by wishing on shooting stars: on a clear night with a meteor shower, put your tool away, push the right stick up to look at the sky, and press A as each star crosses it. The next day, after 5 AM, one fragment per wish washes up on your beaches, up to 20 for your own wishes. Below we cover how to tell when a shower is coming, the controls, what the fragments are worth, Celeste, and the rare boat tour island that showers you in them.
This reflects version 3.0.3 of Animal Crossing New Horizons on Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition; shooting stars and wishing work the same on both.
When Meteor Showers Happen
Per the community wiki, shooting stars can appear between 7 PM and 4 AM on clear or partly cloudy nights that follow a day without rain or snow. There are two kinds:
- Heavy showers. When Isabelle (or Tom Nook, early on) mentions a meteor shower in the morning announcement, expect clusters of five or more stars every few minutes. Per the datamined community FAQ, these happen roughly ten times a year, and Isabelle skips the mention if she has other news that day.
- Light showers. Only a handful of stars per hour, on roughly five to ten nights a month per the same FAQ, with no announcement.
Heavy nights are the ones worth staying up for. On a light night you can still wish; you just spend more time staring at the sky between stars.
How to Wish on a Shooting Star
- Put away whatever you are holding. You cannot wish with a tool or item in your hands.
- Stand still and look up by pushing the right stick up until the camera shows the sky.
- Listen. A soft twinkle plays when a star is about to cross.
- Press A while the star is on screen. Your character closes their eyes and clasps their hands, and the star flares with a louder chime when the wish counts.
| Action | Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 |
|---|---|
| Put your tool away | Down on the directional buttons |
| Look up at the sky | Right stick up, all the way |
| Make a wish | A while a shooting star is on screen |
The Switch 2 Edition’s mouse controls do not apply here; they only cover decorating indoors, custom designs, and the bulletin board.
Collecting the Fragments
The day after your wishes, check the beaches from 5 AM. Per the community wiki, only ten fragments sit on the shore at once, and more appear as you pick them up, so walk a second lap once the first batch is gone.
| Fragment | Sells for | Odds per wish, normal night |
|---|---|---|
| Star fragment | 250 Bells | 85 percent |
| Zodiac fragment (current sign) | 500 Bells | 10 percent |
| Large star fragment | 2,500 Bells | 5 percent |
Per the community wiki, the zodiac and large odds double during the dates of your own character’s star sign. The zodiac fragment you get matches the date of the shower. As this goes live in October, that means the Libra fragment through October 23, then the Scorpius fragment from October 24 to November 22.
Friends add more. Per the community wiki, every five wishes made by visitors on your island adds another fragment to your beaches, up to 20 extra for a possible 40. Up to eight players can play together online normally, and up to 12 if everyone has the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, so a full stargazing party fills that bonus quickly.
Celeste and Her Recipes
Blathers’ sister Celeste wanders some meteor shower nights. The first time you meet her she gives you the star wand DIY recipe, and each new day you find her after that she gives another space or zodiac themed recipe, and those recipes are what most star fragments get spent on. Per the community wiki, on days when you are not eligible for a new recipe from her, she sometimes hands over star fragments instead.
Kapp’n’s Meteor Shower Island
The 2.0 update added boat tours with Kapp’n at your pier, for 1,000 Nook Miles once K.K. Slider has played his first concert on your island. Per the community wiki, about 3.14 percent of tours land on a rare island that is permanently midnight during a heavy meteor shower:
- Shooting stars there come far more often than on your own island, and every wish you make adds fragments to your own island’s beaches the next day.
- Star fragments and a large star fragment lie on the ground, and a message bottle on the beach always holds a star fragment recipe.
- Its two rocks drop only star fragments, including zodiac fragments of every sign. Hit them with a shovel or axe using the hole technique from our iron nuggets guide to collect every drop; our guide on how to get a shovel covers the tool.
Per the community wiki, you can only land there after you have played through June 15 (Northern Hemisphere) or December 15 (Southern Hemisphere) on your own island at least once. The 3.0 update also lets you take a second boat tour each day for 100 Hotel Tickets, after you complete the Resort Hotel’s first VIP room, which doubles your daily rolls at this island.
Meteor showers run in the same 7 PM to 4 AM window as scorpions, so a Northern Hemisphere player can wish between catches while following our scorpion guide through the end of October.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why didn’t I get any star fragments? The usual causes are holding a tool while wishing, pressing A when no star was on screen, or checking the beach before 5 AM. Listen for the louder chime; if it did not play, the wish did not count.
How many star fragments can you get per night? Up to 20 from your own wishes, plus up to 20 more from visitors’ wishes, for a maximum of 40 on your beaches.
When do star fragments appear? On your island’s beaches the day after the meteor shower, from 5 AM.
Which zodiac fragment can I get right now? The Libra fragment through October 23, then the Scorpius fragment from October 24 to November 22.
Can you get star fragments without a meteor shower? Yes, occasionally. Celeste sometimes gives them out on days she has no new recipe for you, and the rare meteor shower island on Kapp’n’s boat tours has fragments on the ground and in its rocks.
Do visitors’ wishes count? Yes. Every five wishes from visitors add one more fragment to the host island’s beaches, up to 20 extra.