Author: Ashley Strickland / Source: KSBW
(CNN) —
The new year began with the most distant flyby of a planetary object, and it continues with the Quadrantid meteor shower tonight, one of the best annual shows in the night sky, according to NASA.
A moonless night should help your chances to see it between midnight and dawn, but location is also a factor with this one-night-only meteor shower peak. Those in the Northern Hemisphere, especially Europe and the surrounding areas, will have the best chance of observation.
Mid- and far-north latitudes will have the best chance to see the peak, which lasts only a few hours.
Expect to see about 80 meteors per hour, but there could be as many as 200. The Quadrantids are known for bright, colorful fireball meteors because of the large particles of an asteroid interacting with our atmosphere.
Don’t give up hope if you don’t live in those areas. Check Time and Date to see what your chances are like, or just take a look for yourself outside.
If the meteor shower’s name sounds odd, it’s probably because it doesn’t sound like it’s related to a constellation, like other meteor showers. That’s because the Quadrantids’ namesake constellation no longer…
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