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The Quadrantid meteor shower is reaching its peak, and sky watchers in North America have a good chance of seeing the end of the show tonight.
This annual meteor shower peaks between January 3-4 of each year. This year so far has provided less than ideal views for sky watchers, given that the moon was 81% full on the night of January 3. Quadrantids are fairly faint meteors, so moonlight can easily erase them. However, the moon is waning, so January 4 could allow for better meteor detection, albeit at a slower rate than during the January 3 peak.
To see the Quadrantids, look for a dark spot with minimal light pollution. Exceed the moonrise or wait until after the moonset if you can. Dress warmly and allow your eyes to adjust to the dark for 15-20 minutes. The meteors will appear to emanate from the constellation Boötes. To find that constellation, first find Ursa Major in the northern sky. Then follow the handle of the Big Dipper to the bright star Arcturus, which anchors the bottom of Boötes. The constellation looks a bit like a deformed kite with a short tail. You can find out when this constellation (the “radiant” of the meteor shower) will be above the horizon by entering its location in the Date and time meteor shower page.
During its peak, which lasts for only a few hours, the Quadrantid shower can produce around 120 meteors per hour. Outside of peak hours, viewers can still see around 25 meteors per hour.
The Quadrantids are a shower of space dust and rocks from asteroid 2003 EH1, which is likely an extinct comet that lost its long icy tail. Meteors get their name from the name of a now-defunct constellation, Quadrans Muralis, a four-sided figure dreamed of by astronomer Jérôme Lalande in 1795. In 1922, when the International Astronomical Union drew up a list of internationally recognized constellations, it left the Lalande’s invention in favor of Boötes, which had a longer history (it was recognized in ancient Greece and ancient Babylon). The name of the meteor shower associated with Quadrans Muralis did not change, although the Quadrantids are occasionally known as Bootids.
After the Quadrantids, the next best chance to spot meteorites will come with the Lyridids, which occurs in mid-April. This year, the best viewing will probably be on the hours before sunrise on April 22, according to EarthSky magazine.
Originally posted on Live Science.
