The quadrantid meteor shower is going on now
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The quadrantid meteor shower is going on now. Its peak is predicted to be overnight Jan. 3rd-4th. It will be most visible on the 4th after midnight, and until about 6 a.m. Before then, it will be too low in the sky. The meteor shower actually runs from Dec. 28th to Jan. 12th.
To find it, look North-Northeast. You may be able to recognize Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper. If you follow along its stars, you should be able to look a bit up and to the left to see the Big Dipper, Ursa Major. The quadrantid meteor shower will be vaguely below Ursa Major.
The constellation Bootes should be a little right (East) of the meteor shower.
The quadrantid shower is believed to be pieces of rock that came from Asteroid 2003 EH1. This is a bit unusual, because according to NASA, meteors usually spring forth from comets.
I realize that people probably aren’t going to sit outside in early morning cold and darkness, waiting for some space rocks to zoom by high in the sky. But it is nice to at least know about these celestial occurrences.
My space viewing is almost always thwarted by clouds. Once in a while, it’s a full moon that gets in the way. You’d think that all you have to do is go out of town and look up.