This is the best time to see tonight’s Quadrantid meteor shower - New York Post

It’s written in the stars!

The annual Quadrantid meteor shower, which could produce as many as 200 meteors per hour, will peak Thursday night, according to NASA.

The spectacular show, which graces the sky every January, is expected to crest between 9 and 10 p.m. EST Thursday, according to the International Meteor Organization. The shower will be short-lived and last around six hours, according to Sky and Telescope.

A moonless sky will make the meteors easier to spot, but not everyone around the world will get a good view. Around 60 percent of the meteors will be outside the field of view in North America, though stargazers in that region should still expect to see roughly 30 to 40 percent of meteors per hour, according to the Washington Post.

In the Northern Hemisphere, especially in Europe, people could see between 80 and 200 meteors per hour, according to CNN.

The Quadrantid meteor showers are known for being slow-moving and colorful, including green, yellow, pink and light blue. They move at 26 miles per second, which is slow for shootings stars, according to the Washington Post.

The Quadrantids get their name from Quadrantid Muralis, a constellation — no longer recognized as one — first spotted between Boötes and Draco in 1795. Meteors originate from leftover comet particles and bits of broken asteroids. Most meteors come from comets, but Quadrantids come from the asteroid or “rock comet” 2003 EH1. The shower radiates between the Big Dipper and Boötes.

Stargazers in urban areas may have more luck spotting meteors if they travel to a place with a wide view of the sky and less light pollution, NASA explains. Avoiding light from cellphones and other sources will give people’s eyes more time to adjust to the darkness and make the meteors easier to see. Binoculars are also helpful for getting a better glimpse of the cosmos.

Let's block ads! (Why?)