The new year begins with the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower on Saturday, one of the best annual shows in the night sky, according to NASA. Dark skies should allow for a nice look at the bright shower in the early morning hours of January 4.
But the peak is brief, only lasting about six hours. The peak is estimated to arrive at 3:20 a.m. ET on January 4, according to the American Meteor Society. And it will be best seen in the Northern Hemisphere. Skygazers hoping to see the estimated 50 to 100 meteors in the dark, early morning sky should be prepared to look up at least an hour before the peak in case it begins early, but EarthSky suggests watching starting in the late evening of January 3.
If the meteor shower's name sounds odd, it's probably because it doesn't sound like it's related to a constellation, like other meteor showers. That's because the Quadrantids' namesake constellation no longer exists -- at least, not as a recognized constellation. The constellation Quadrans Muralis, first observed and noted in 1795 between Bootes and Draco, was not included in the International Astronomical Union's list of modern constellations.
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