Catch the Peak of the Meteor Shower With Brightly Traced Fireballs
As many of the personal New Years and fireworks have been cut or canceled this week, fans of the night sky may have been disappointed. But all is not yet lost. In fact, in 2021, nature has its own light indication that we can enjoy. This comes in the form of the annual Quadrantid meteor shower, which peaks tonight. Here’s how to see it.
What are the Quadrantids?
Technically, the Quadrantid meteor shower started last year on December 28, 2020, but it peaked tonight. What’s so special about these meteors? According to NASA , they are not only the first of the year, but also some of the best due to their fast arrival (at 60 to 200 meteors per hour) and the fact that they are bright balls of fire that appear frequently. colorful trails.
How to observe the Quadrantids at their peak
Like most astronomical events, catching the Quadrantids at their peak requires planning. Although many meteor showers have a peak lasting a day or two, it ends after a few hours, so timing is important.
There is also the problem of the waning moon, which today will be 84% full , making it difficult to detect less noticeable meteors. (Although the fact that the Quadrantids include bright balls of fire means that some of them should be visible even on a bright moon.)
There is no definite timetable for the peak tonight, although experts estimate it will most likely be between 2 a.m. and the early morning dawn of January 3. The quadrantids will be most prominent in the northern hemisphere, especially in the western United States. To learn more about the Quadrantids, including what’s happening to them this year and how today’s weather will affect them, EarthSky will help you .