With many personalized New Year’s Eve celebrations and fireworks displays either scaled down or completely canceled this week, fans of Flash events taking place in the night sky were possibly disappointed. But all is not lost. In fact, nature has its own light screen that we can enjoy if we facilitate in 2021. It comes in the form of the annual Quadrantids meteor shower that culminates tonight. Here’s how to see it.
What are the quadranties?
Technically, the Quadrantids meteor shower started specifically last year – 28 December 2020 – but they are reaching a peak tonight. And what is so special about these meteors? Apart from being the first of the year, it is also one of the best, according to NASA, thanks to the rapid entry (at 60 to 200 meteors per hours), and because it is bright fireballs that regularly come colorful routes.
How to see the quadrant times at their peak
Like most astronomical events, it intends to capture the quadrantids at their peak. While many meteor showers a peak which lasts a day or two, this one is over within a few hours – so it’s important to fix your timing.
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There is also the challenge of the waning moon, which will be 84% full tonight, which makes it harder to spot the less prominent meteors. (Although the fact that the quadrants involve bright fireballs, some should be visible even with the bright moon.)
There is no set timetable for tonight’s highlight, but experts estimate it will be between 02:00 and dawn on the early morning of January 3rd. The quadrantids will be most visible in the Northern Hemisphere, specifically in the western United States. To find out more about the quadrants – including what’s going on with them this year and how they’ll be affected by tonight’s weather –EarthSky has you covered.