Watch the skies on Monday for the first meteor shower of 2021

One of the best meteor showers of the year is expected to happen early next week, and you’ll only have a few hours to see it, according to NASA.

The Quadrantid meteor shower will begin early in the morning of January 4 and last until dawn.

Just face northeast, look at the sky and you might be able to see up to two dozen meteors per hour, NASA officials said.

“The visibility of meteor showers from year to year has a lot to do with whether or not there is a bright moon in the sky at that time. This year the Moon will set shortly after midnight local time, which means observing conditions should be good, provided your local sky is not obscured by winter conditions, ”NASA said in a statement. .

The further away you are from the city lights, the darker it will be and the easier it will be to see the meteor shower.

NASA officials have said that while this meteor shower is one of the best this year, it’s not the only event we’ll have to look forward to this month.

Mars will rise before dawn alongside the red giant star Antares this month, and both will be visible low in the southeast, just an hour before sunrise each morning.

Antares is larger than Mars, but to the human eye, it will appear as a tiny point of light twinkling in the sky, according to NASA.

And, on January 20, the pair will be joined by a “thin lunar crescent” in the sky and it will be a beauty you won’t want to miss.

To learn more about NASA’s sky forecast for this month, click here.