The Quadrantid Meteor Shower is one of the exciting star shows of the New Year and is expected to peak later this week on January 3, 2014.
The Quadrantids is expected to peak in the morning of January 3. According to NASA, the Quadrantids only last a few hours. The location of the radiant will be the northern tip of Bootes the Herdsman, meaning that only observers residing on the northern hemisphere can see the Quadrantids.
For those in the U.S. and Canada, the best viewing time would be 11p.m. local time to early hours of dawn. Be sure to wrap up warm if you plan to brave the cold to view the meteor shower. Best places to view the shower would be away from the city and into the countryside.
Keep in mind that the Quadrantid Meteor Shower actually started on December 28, 2013 so meteors can still be spotted between Jan. 1 to Jan. 12.
The meteors will be at its peak on Jan. 3, with up to 80 meteors per hour.
A live stream of the Quadrantid meteor shower over the skies in Huntsville, Ala. will be available on Ustream by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. See the video below to watch a live stream of the Quadrantid meteor shower. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will offer a live Ustream view of the skies over Huntsville, Ala.
The Quadrantids are named after a constellation of Quadrans Muralis (mural quadrant), created by French astronomer Jerome Lalande in 1795.
Nasa stated: "Located between the constellations of Bootes and Draco, Quadrans represents an early astronomical instrument used to observe and plot stars. Even though the constellation is no longer recognized by astronomers, it was around long enough to give the meteor shower — first seen in 1825 — its name."
The meteors originate from an asteroid called 2003 EH1 and enters the Earth's atmosphere at 90,000 miles per hour, burning 50 miles above the Earth's surface.
The next big meteor shower of 2014 will be the Lyrid Meteor Shower which will peak April 22-23.
