Catch the top of a meteor shower with fireballs tonight

With many in-person New Years celebrations and fireworks either reduced or canceled altogether this week, flashy fans the events taking place in the night sky may have been disappointed. But all is not lost. In fact, nature has its own display of lights that we can enjoy as 2021 approaches. This comes in the form of the annual Quadrantids meteor shower, which peaks tonight. Here is how to see it.

What are the quadrantids?

Technically, the Quadrantids meteor shower started last year – December 28, 2020, to be precise – but is peaking tonight. And what is the particularity of these meteors? In addition to being the first of the year, they are also among the best, according to NASA, thanks to a rapid arrival (at a rate of 60 to 200 meteors per hour), and because they are shiny fireballs that often come from colorful trails.

How to watch the quadrantids in their prime

Like most astronomical events, catching the quadrantids at their peak requires some planning. While many meteor showers have a peak which lasts a day or two, it ends in a few hours – so timing is important.

There is also the challenge of waning gibbous moon, which will be 84% full tonight making it harder to spot the less prominent meteors. (Although the fact that the Quadrantids involve bright fireballs means that some should be visible even with the bright moon.)

There is no set time frame for tonight’s peak, although experts believe it will likely be between 2 a.m. and dawn early in the morning of January 3. The quadrantids will be most visible in the northern hemisphere, particularly from the western United States. To learn more about the Quadrantids, including what is happening with them this year and how they will be affected by the weather tonight –EarthSky has you covered.