The 2024 skywatching season begins this week with the appearance of the Quadrantids, the first major meteor shower of the year.
New Scientist reported that the meteor shower would be peaking in the early hours of January 4. At its peak, up to 110 meteors would be visible each hour, with the event often being associated with particularly bright meteors called fireballs.
However, since the moon is in its third quarter phase, it meant that moonlight could get in the way of seeing as many as 110 meteors, but clear skies would still make the skywatching event worth it.
The current Quadrantids meteor shower actually began on December 28, but it would be visible for some on January 3 and would peak just before 01:00 UTC on January 4, in an event that was expected to last just six hours.
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Where and How to Watch the Quadrantids
The meteor shower would be best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. Those interested in looking at it could just go outside just after midnight and try to avoid any form of light pollution. Meteor watches have little to no need for special equipment.
Meanwhile, the chance of seeing any Quadrantids meteors from the Southern Hemisphere would be low, as its peak would be after sunrise in those areas. However, viewers might catch some in the hours before sunrise on January 4.
Like all meteor showers, the Quadrantids are named after the constellation the meteors appear to come from in the sky.
In this case, an old constellation was called Quadrans Muralis in the 1800s, when the shower was discovered. Now, the patch of the sky was part of the constellation Boötes.
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