Stargazers this weekend will be able to glimpse the Quadrantid meteor shower, which illuminates the sky every hour with up to 200 shooting stars.
The annual meteor shower takes place every year between December 28th and January 12th, but in 2021 the best views in the UK are on January 2nd and 3rd after dark.
The Quadrantids are known to produce between 50 and 200 meteors per hour on a clear night and are described by NASA as one of the best annual meteor showers.
Meteors are pieces of rocky debris that penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of up to 40 miles per second, leaving streaks of light that we call ‘shooting stars’.
Quadrantides in the Great Khingan Mountains of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China, 4 January 2019
Quadrantids are best known for their bright ‘fireball’ meteors that leave behind large explosions of light and color that last longer than the average meteor streaks.
According to NASA, this is because fireballs come from larger particles of material.
Most meteor showers have a peak of two days, but the Quadrantids have a peak window of only six hours.
“The reason the peak is so short is due to the shower’s thin stream of particles and the fact that the Earth crosses the stream at a perpendicular angle,” NASA says.
Quadrantids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere because their point of radiation – the point at which a meteor appears to form – is so far north at the sky’s dome.
The easiest way to find the shower is to look north for the Big Dipper. Then follow the ‘arc’ of the Big Dipper’s handle across the sky to the red giant star Arcturus – this anchors the bottom of the constellation Bootes, where the meteor shower will appear
A meteor shoots past stars during the annual Quadrantid meteor shower in Qingdao, Shandong province, January 4, 2014
According to the International Meteor Organization (IMO), the peak is expected to occur around 2:30 PM GMT on Sunday, January 3.
But exactly when it will peak is usually difficult to predict.
“That prediction isn’t set in stone,” Robert Lunsford, a longtime meteor observer at the American Meteor Society, previously told Space.com.
“We haven’t nailed these down yet. It acts as it pleases. ‘
If the IMO estimate is correct, people in North America – especially on the west coast and the Pacific Islands – will get the best view this year because of the time zone.
This is because quadrantides are best viewed at night and before sunrise.
However, people in Europe may still be able to get a view on weekends as long as the weather is clear.
Quadrantid meteor shower in the Great Khingan Mountains of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China
Based on IMO estimates, the Quadrantids could provide Europeans with decent viewings, both Saturday evening to Sunday morning and Sunday evening through Monday morning.
“The keen observer should aim for the nights on either side – January 2-3 (if the meteor shower builds up) or January 3-4 (if it diminishes),” said Tania de Sales Marques, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich.
However, the waning moon will rise for most of the night and create “a bright light source in the sky that will make it more difficult to see the meteors,” she said.
According to NASA, quadrantids reward the most patient stargazers.
“To view the Quadrantides, find an area away from city or street lighting,” says the space agency.
Prepare for winter weather with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair.
Lie flat on your back with your feet facing northeast and look up, taking in as much of the air as possible.
In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes adjust and you start seeing meteors.
“Be patient – the show lasts until dawn, so you’ll have plenty of time to get a glimpse.”
The easiest way to find the shower is to look north at the Big Dipper – the signature group of seven bright stars and a handy navigation tool.
Scenery of the Quadrantid Meteor Shower in the Great Khingan Mountains, Heilongjiang Province in northeast China, 4 January 2019
Then follow the ‘arc’ of the Big Dipper’s handle across the sky to the red giant star Arcturus – this anchors the bottom of the constellation Bootes, where the meteor shower will appear.
The Quadrantids take their name from the constellation Quadrans Muralis – mural quadrant, which was created in 1795 by the French astronomer Jerome Lalande.
They come from a small asteroid called 2003 EH1, which is only about two miles in diameter.
2003 EH1 was discovered on March 6, 2003 by the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search (LONEOS).
The asteroid takes an impressive 5.52 years to orbit the sun once.
Studies suggest that this body could very well be a piece of a comet that fell apart several centuries ago.