The skies of 2020 brought us solace despite a year packed with lockdowns and social distancing and fascinated us with a parade of eye-catching astronomical activities. This past year's celestial calendar was filled with unforgettable sights, including the unexpected arrival of the brilliant comet NEOWISE, the finest images of Mars in the decade, the Halloween blue moon, and Jupiter and Saturn's much-anticipated historically near encounter.
We all deserve a celestial spectacle after a traumatic 2020, to greet the New Year. The meteor shower has just the best sight in store for the Quadrantids. On Saturday night (January 2), the celestial shower peaks, bringing up to 90 shooting stars an hour streaking through the sky.
NIEDERHOLLABRUNN, AUSTRIA - APRIL 21: (EDITORS NOTE: Multiple exposures were combined to produce this image.) Startrails are seen during the Lyrids meteor shower over Michaelskapelle on April 21, 2020 in Niederhollabrunn, Austria. The clear skies created by the New Moon coincide with the Lyrid meteor shower, an annual display caused by the Earth passing through a cloud of debris from a comet called C/186 Thatcher.
The Quadrantids: Are They the Best Showers of the Year?
NASA calls the Quadrantids one of the best yearly meteor showers. They are known for vivid fireballs that leave vibrant streaks of light temporarily imprinted on the night sky.
The bulk of meteor showers originate from a comet's dust (a ball of ice and rock), but the Quadrantids are the surviving asteroid pieces (a bare space rock).
It enters the elliptical orbit of asteroid 2003 EH1 every January as Earth circles the earth, plowing along the trail of debris that the asteroid has shed. In the atmosphere, these pieces of space rock flame up and release dazzling flares of fire.
Unfortunately, the fading gibbous moon would potentially outshine around half of Saturday's meteors at about 84 percent full. The Quadrantids will create as many as 200 shooting stars in a single hour during years where the skies are darker.
Asteroid 2003 EH1
The shower attributes its reputation to Quadrans Muralis, a now-defunct star. A catalog of celestial bodies drawn up by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1922 left the constellation off the list.
But since the shower was already called after Quadrans Muralis, it did not modify its meaning. The Quadrantids, after the modern star, Boötes, are often referred to as Bootids.
How to See the Quadrantids
Although other meteor showers peak over a few days, for only six hours, the Quadrantids send just their maximum. Bundle up and get as far away from the city lights as you can to capture the complete beauty. For an expansive view of the stars, find a nice place to lie on your back. (Pro tip: A reclining chair is the true buddy of a stargazer.)
Place yourself, if necessary, that the moon is out of your field of view. That will decrease its overpowering luminosity.
Wait 30 minutes to change your eyes to the gloom. When night falls, the celestial display can commence and last until dawn.
From the north, the shooting stars can radiate, so you should be able to see them all over the sky.
The next meteor shower to watch for would be the Lyrids, which peak on the night of April 21, following the Quadrantids.
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