Quadrantid Meteor Shower Reaches Its Peak

The Quadrantid meteor shower may have reached its peak in the overnight hours between last night and today, but you can still look to the skies during the night. Typically, the Quadrantid meteor shower is one of the strongest showers of the year. Making for improved viewing this year is that the moon is in its waxing crescent phase.

That means there’s less moonlight to obscure the meteor shower. Naturally, in many parts of the country, it’s extremely cold, making hanging out outside a rather uncomfortable proposition.

The meteor shower’s peak lasted only about six hours and was best viewable in the northern hemisphere. The best meteor activity was viewable in Europe, and those in the southern hemisphere will be unlikely to see the shower at all.

The meteor shower is difficult to see in the southern hemisphere because the source of the shower isn’t very high in the sky before dawn. The meteor shower comes from an area between the Big Dipper and Bootes.