The New Year celebrations may have come and gone, but if you didn’t manage to get your resolutions ready in time for midnight, don’t worry. You can reset your good luck and try wishing upon a star, as the Quadrantid meteor shower is due to peak this weekend (January 3-4).
For those whose astronomy knowledge is lacking, the Quadrantids are, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG), ‘one of the strongest and most consistent meteor showers of the year’.
This isn’t the only thing worth looking up for – the northern lights could be visible from the UK again in the near future, and you can read all about how to maximise your chances of seeing them here.
But to keep you going until the aurora return, the Quadrantids should be pretty impressive too, albeit less Instagrammable. Here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s meteor shower.
What is the Quadrantids meteor shower?
A meteor, which is actually different from a comet or an asteroid (although all appear similar to the naked eye from Earth), is a piece of space debris which has evaporated upon entering our atmosphere, creating streaks of light which can be seen from the ground – what you might call a shooting star.
The more of these meteors that there are, and the faster they move, the more visible they are to us Earthlings, and the Quadrantids are many. In fact at the peak, there will be up to 120 meteors reaching us per hour. Be wary though – they only stay at this level for a few hours once a year.
RMG describes them as ‘blue… with fine trains’, and you can find them across the night sky, although they ‘appear to radiate’ from nearby the Big Dipper.
When will the meteor shower be visible in the UK?
Technically, the Quadrantids have been visible since Boxing Day, just faintly. The exact period where the Quadrantids can potentially be seen in this country is between December 26-January 12, but it will be at its clearest when it peaks in early January.
When will the Quadrantids peak?
While most meteor showers are at their peak for multiple days, this one has more of a flash in the pan sort of vibe. It will be very bright for a few hours tonight (January 3) and into early tomorrow morning (January 4), and then subside again.
How to watch the Quadrantids meteor shower
You don’t need any equipment to watch this shower; on a good night it will be clear to the naked eye, although a pair of binoculars will help get a clearer view.
The main things to keep in mind are that you want to get yourself somewhere as high and as dark as possible. Light pollution will severely limit visibility, as will buildings which are tall enough to obstruct the sky, so somewhere away from civilisation is best. You’ll also want to give your eyes a good twenty minutes to adjust to the dark before you start really searching.
Make sure to check the weather forecast before heading out on a meteor-pilgrimage. Right now there is due to be low cloud coverage across the UK tonight, although some areas of the country may be getting some snow, so keep an eye out for that. Also, make sure you’ve wrapped up properly to protect yourself from the cold.
When is the UK’s next meteor shower?
We’re sorry to say that there won’t be another shower until the Lyrids in April, but the next one as significant as this will be the Perseids in July. The good news, however, is that if you can wait until then, the Perseids are actually even bigger than the Quadrantids, and you have seven months to prepare. Silver linings.
You can keep up to date with all the latest astronomical projections on the RMG meteor calendar here.
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