Meteor shower will illuminate the night sky on New Year’s weekend

#Stargazers will be able to catch a glimpse of the #Quadrantid meteor shower this weekend, which illuminates the sky with up to 200 shooting stars every hour.

The annual meteor shower runs every year between #December 28 and #January 12, but in 2021 the best views in the UK will be after dark on #January 2 and 3.

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 enter the #Earth’s atmosphere at up to 40 miles per second, leaving streaks of light that we refer to as ‘shooting stars’.

#Quadrantids are especially known for their bright ‘fireball’ meteors that leave large explosions of light and colour that persist longer than average meteor streaks.

#This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of material, according to NASA.

#Most meteor showers have a two-day peak, but the #Quadrantids have a ‘peak’ window of just 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 radiant point – the point at which a meteor appears to originate – is so far north on 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 streaks past stars during the annual #Quadrantid meteor shower in #Qingdao, #Shandong province, #January 4, 2014

#According to the #International #Meteor #Organisation (IMO), the peak is expected to occur at around 14:30 GMT on #Sunday, #January 3.

#But exactly when it will peak is usually difficult to predict.

‘#That prediction is not set in stone,’ #Robert #Lunsford, a long-time meteor observer with the #American #Meteor #Society, previously told #Space.com.

‘#We haven’t got this one nailed down yet. #It acts the way it wants to.’

#If the IMO’s estimation is correct, people in #North #America – especially on the west coast, and the #Pacific islands – will get the best view this year, due to the time zone.

#This is because #Quadrantids are best viewed during the night and predawn hours.

#However, people in #Europe may be still be able to catch a view over the weekend, as long as the weather is clear.

#Quadrantid meteor shower over in the #Great #Khingan #Mountains in northeast #China’s #Heilongjiang province

#Based on IMO’s estimation, the #Quadrantids could provide #Europeans with decent viewings on both #Saturday night through to #Sunday morning and #Sunday night through to #Monday morning.

‘The keen observer should aim for the nights on either side – #January 2-3 (as the meteor shower builds up) or #January 3-4 (as it declines),’ said #Tania de #Sales #Marques, astronomer at #Royal #Observatory #Greenwich.

#However, the waning gibbous #Moon will be up for most of the night, ‘constituting a bright light source in the sky that will make it harder to spot the meteors’, she said.

#Quadrantids reward the most patient of stargazers, according to NASA.

‘#To view the #Quadrantids, find an area well away from city or street lights,’ the space agency says.

‘#Come prepared 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 sky as possible.

‘#In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors.

‘#Be patient – the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.’

The easiest way to find the shower is to look north for the #Big #Dipper – the distinctive group of seven bright stars and a useful navigation tool.

#Landscape of the #Quadrantid meteor shower over in the #Great #Khingan #Mountains, northeast #China’s #Heilongjiang province, 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 derive their name from the constellation of #Quadrans #Muralis – mural quadrant, which was created by the #French astronomer #Jerome #Lalande in 1795.

They originate from a small asteroid, called 2003 EH1, with a diameter of only about two miles (three kilometres) across.

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 broke apart several centuries ago.