The Quadrantids Meteor Shower

The Quadrantid meteor shower is one of the best meteor showers of the year. It usually gives us more than 100 meteors per hour.

This year, the Quadrantid Meteor Shower will begin around December 28th and will continue through January 7th. You will want to start observing at about 8:00pm EST or 5:00 PST on the evening of January 3rd for North American observers. This coincides with the new moon of January so moonlight will not interfere at any hour of the night.

Unfortunately at this time the Quadrantid radiant lies low in the northwestern sky for observers in North America. Rates would only be a small fraction of what could be seen with the radiant high in the sky. This timing is best suited for Eastern Europe and Central Asia where the radiant is favorably placed high in the sky during the morning hours. Even under ideal circumstances this display is quite variable. Observers should witness 30-50 shower members per hour at maximum but occasionally these rates can exceed 100 Quadrantids per hour from rural locations. Best viewing times are about an hour before dawn on the mornings of the 3rd and 4th.

You can read more at:

Meteor Shower