The January sky will be a treat to see as the most intense meteor shower will peak tonight and Saturday morning. Skywatchers will have the privilege to experience one of the brightest meteor showers: the Quadrantids.
READ: Perseid Meteor Showers Light Up the Sky
WHAT ARE THE QUADRANTIDS?
Compared to the other two brightest meteor showers this planet observes (the Perseids and the Geminids), the Quadrantids are relatively unknown and that's understandable probably because it is named after a defunct constellation called Quadrans Muralis. For instance, if you ask someone who is familiar with the night sky, they can probably identify the Perseid or the Geminid but only a few can recognize the Quadrantids.
It will be kind of challenging to see the Quadrantids not because of how the sky will look but because of the chilly January air and sometimes that is a factor why this bright meteor shower is rarely known as people cannot stay out for long to see it.
The Quadrantids usually reach their peak on January 3 and 4 showcasing 120 shooting stars per hour and it will last for about six hours. While it can be seen globally, North America have their advantage in seeing this bright meteor shower. The peak starts at around 8:20 in the evening.
WHAT DO THEY MEAN BY PEAK?
In astronomical lingo, a meteor shower 'peaks' when it showcases the densest part of its stream. Skywatchers can watch out for this bright meteor shower 03:20 in the morning, Eastern Standard Time and 6:20 on a Saturday evening. It can also be observed at exactly 12:00 midnight Pacific Standard Time through 03:20 on a Saturday morning.
The moon will start to set near midnight and this will help for an improved sky-watching while waiting for the Quadrantids to occur. However, the Quadrantids are known to be faint when there are light nearby so to completely appreciate this bright meteor shower, it has to be done in a dark area or an area that is a bit away from light pollution.
Another feature of the Quadrantids is the fireball or meteors that are very bright, often brighter than magnitude -4. This is the same magnitude as that of Venus when it appears in the evening or early morning sky. Look to the direction of the Big Dipper and then range down to find the constellation Bootes and again find the very bright red star Arcturus. This area is close to the radiant point of the shooting stars from this bright meteor shower. The shooting stars can appear from any side of the sky except south so it will really help if skywatchers are mindful of the direction they are facing.
AN ODD ONE OUT
The cause of the Quadrantid meteor shower is still unknown and astronomers theorized that the asteroid 2003 EH1 might be the cause of this bright meteor shower. That, or it could be another comet called C/1490 Y1. Astronomers are still quite not sure of Quadrantine's origins unlike that of the two other biggest meteor showers.
