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Year's First Meteor Shower Peaks Overnight
posted: 11:31 am ET
03 January 2000
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quadrantids_000103 The first meteor shower of the year will fire into full swing overnight. Those enjoying clear skies could witness a rare treat -- if they are willing to dress against the cold and recline for a few hours outside. The Quadrantids -- one the most intense yet least-observed meteor showers of the year -- peaks between midnight and tomorrow morning. Skywatchers determined to see the shower can look toward the northern horizon between midnight and dawn, in hopes of seeing anywhere between several dozen and 200 meteors per hour. The most intense display will only last for a few hours, though, so viewers will need timing, and a bit of geographical good fortune. Unlike the Perseids and other better-known showers, which can be active for several days to weeks, the Quadrantids' maximum will last only for a few hours. It therefore tends to be visible across relatively narrow region -- one that is not always predicted accurately. This year forecasters say it should be best seen in western Europe, across the northern Atlantic Ocean and in eastern North America. Still, anyone wanting a good chance to see the shooting-star show of the year should take a look. With only two days before the new moon, Luna is out of the way, so the sky will be dark and perfect for viewing. The shower is named for a forgotten constellation called Quadrans Muralis, which was sketched in the sky between Hercules and the Big Dipper. Although the meteors should appear throughout the night sky, they will appear to emanate from that Quadrans region, low above the northern horizon. 
Quadrantid meteors can appear in any part of the sky, but their trajectories will trace back to a point in the northern sky called the Quadrantid radiant. The radiant lies somewhat between the Big Dipper and the constellation Hercules, and is shown here as it will appear at about 2:30 a.m. January 4, 1999 from the Boston, Massachusetts area. The origin of the shower is a mystery. Most other meteor showers can be traced to debris strewn across space behind the tail of a comet. These small particles form fiery trails in Earth's atmosphere when our planet passes through a debris stream. But astronomers have not been able to find a parent comet for the Quadrantids. Some have proposed that such a comet once existed, but that it collided with Jupiter, or was broken up by perturbations from the giant planet's gravity. Others contend that the celestial litterbug simply hasn't been discovered yet. The Quadrantid meteor shower occurs each year when Earth passes through the cloudy remains of that icy ball, those astronomers argue.
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