Quadrantid meteor shower peaks this weekend

The new year begins with what could be the strongest meteor shower of the year, as the Quadrantids peak this weekend.

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However, the usually illuminating meteor shower might be a bit muted because of the brightness from the waning gibbous moon and the typically poor weather in January, according to the American Meteor Society.

“The average hourly rates one can expect under dark skies is 25,” the meteor group said. “These meteors usually lack persistent trains but often produce bright fireballs.”

The Quadrantids meteor shower will be best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere from 2 a.m. to dawn, CNN reported. The next viewable meteor shower is in April when the Lyrids and Eta Aquariids pass, CBS News reported.

The Quadrantids originated from an asteroid, not a comet, like most meteor showers. Although it was first seen in 1825, it was not until 2003 that the asteroid, 2003 EH1, was discovered by researchers at the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search, according to NASA.

It gets its name from the defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis, which is between the Bootes and Draco constellations, near the end of the “handle” on the Big Dipper. The Quadrantids is also known as the Bootids, because it appears to come from the Bootes constellation.

Quadrans Muralis was left off a 1922 constellation map created by the International Astronomical Union and is no longer a recognized constellation.

Cox Media Group