The Quadrantids are expected to send as many as 50 stars per hour through the night sky, making this one of the most spectacular meteor showers.
This will be the first ever meteor shower in 2022. The peak of this meteor shower occurs on January 3, at approximately 20:40 GMT.
Quadrantids are well-known for the bright and colourful ‘fireball” meteors they produce that create large, intense flashes in light and colour which last much longer than other meteor streaks.
Contrary to most meteor showers which are made from the debris of comets’ comets’ comets’ comets’ comets’ comets’ comets’ comets’ cometes, the Quandrantids were created from 2003 EH1, an asteroid that may have been a “dead comet”.
NASA states that you can see shooting stars throughout the night sky if there is no light pollution. This will allow you to make the most of the shower.
Quadrantids in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, January 4, 2019,
The name comes from Quadrans Muralis, which is a former constellation created in 1795 by the French astronomer Jérôme Lalande that included portions of Boötes and Draco, but has since fallen out of use.
These meteor showers peak in late December to early January every year. Unlike other meteor showers, which can peak for two days, they last only a few hours.
NASA explained that the meteor shower’s fine stream of particles, and the fact Earth crosses this stream at a perpendicular angle are the reasons the peak is so brief.
The extreme is possible to see 200 shooting stars an hour. However, that depends upon the conditions at the best spot on Earth. We’ll only see 50 shooting stars in the UK.
Meteors result from small particles reaching the Earth’s atmosphere in high velocity, often around 90,000 mph (for the Quadrantids).
These pieces heat up from friction and can be destroyed quickly at higher altitudes than 50 miles.
Superheated, glowing air surrounding the meteor appears briefly and can be seen from ground as a “shooting star” or a light streak.
Quadrantids look best at night from the Northern Hemisphere.
There can be between 6 and 10 sporadic meteors each night during the year. However, this number increases significantly when there is a meteor shower’.
‘During a shower, the Earth passes through a cloud of debris left behind by comets and asteroids, and so many more meteors are seen entering the atmosphere,’ the Royal Astronomical Society explained.
Quadrantids can be associated to the Near-Earth Asteroid (196256 2003 EH1), possibly an extinct Comet as seen by Chinese Astronomers in 1490.
The shower peak for this year is expected to occur at 20:40 GMT (3 January), and will drop by approximately 50% two hours later.
The Royal Astronomical Society stated that the Moon would be at its newest, which means it won’t interfere with the view. This will allow for a truly beneficial viewing experience of the meteor shower, especially if you are able to see the event under dark skies, far from cities and towns.
The Quadrantid meteorshower was seen in Heilongjiang, northeast China’s Great Khingan Mountains.
“Meteor showers, unlike many other astronomical phenomena, are simple to observe and require no special equipment.
The best way to see a meteor shower is with the naked eye. On a January night, it’s much easier to enjoy them from a comfortable reclining position, wrapped in a blanket and enjoying a cup of hot tea.
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.
Continue following the Big Dipper’s handle in the sky until you reach the red giant Star Arcturus. Bootes is at the base of this constellation. The meteor shower will then appear.