Ring in the new year (and new decade) with an early morning sky show that promises to bedazzle the night sky this January 3-4, 2020. The very first meteor shower of the year is ramped up to produce more then double its usual number of meteors. And with the moon preparing to go down on the opposite side of the sky from the action, South Carolina will have a front row seat for the Quadrantids.
Typically, the Quadrantid meteor shower only produces 40 meteors per hour — but as the new decade begins, it’s expected to product at least 100 ‘shooting stars’ in the night sky per hour.
Kevin Key / Slworking / Moment Collection via Getty Images
What’s more: the Quadrantids are known for their bright and beautiful colors, which are predominantly blue.
mike black photography / Moment Collection via Getty Images
Unlike Perseids (which just occurred in December), the window to view the Quadrantids is must shorter. The expected peak is at 5 a.m on the morning of January 4th, which happens to be a Saturday.
Flickr/Vicki Timman The timing couldn’t be any better! With the moon phasing in at 71 percent and setting more toward the west, this means less of the moon’s glow will interfere with viewing the meteor shower which will be seen in the Northeast sky.
Finding Quadrantids should be an easy challenge.
Wikipedia/EarthSky Communications, Inc. If you can find the Big Dipper in the Northeast sky, then just look immediately below the handle for the Quadrantid radiant.
If your neighborhood is without a great deal of ambient light and you ordinarily have a great view of the Big Dipper from your own back yard, then you’re in luck. Expect to have a front row seat for this dazzling meteor shower from your own deck or lawn.
Flickr/John Flannery Scope it out a night or two in advance just to be sure.
Other ideal places to view the Quadrantid meteor shower include the beach, or any place you can find, really, that doesn’t have ambient light from artificial sources.
Flickr/Will Fisher
Set an alarm on Saturday, January 4th, so you can rise early enough to get a peek at the first meteor shower of the year. The peak is expected at 5 a.m.
Cylonphoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
Are you planning to watch the first meteor shower of the year? And more importantly, are you preparing a list of wishes so you can make a wish on each and every shooting star you spot? Wake the kids for this one. This should create some memories they’ll cherish for years to come.
Kevin Key / Slworking / Moment Collection via Getty Images
mike black photography / Moment Collection via Getty Images
Flickr/Vicki Timman
The timing couldn’t be any better! With the moon phasing in at 71 percent and setting more toward the west, this means less of the moon’s glow will interfere with viewing the meteor shower which will be seen in the Northeast sky.
Wikipedia/EarthSky Communications, Inc.
If you can find the Big Dipper in the Northeast sky, then just look immediately below the handle for the Quadrantid radiant.
Flickr/John Flannery
Scope it out a night or two in advance just to be sure.
Flickr/Will Fisher
Cylonphoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
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