patching...
Update: The next chapter of your community's story begins with a single voice. Yours. Blog on Patch. »
Welcome back, Patch Blogger!

When Is The Quadrantids Meteor Shower?

It peaks in the hours right before dawn on Jan. 3, with a maximum number of meteors per hour of about 80.

 
Follow Inver Grove Heights Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our free newsletter

If you blink you might miss the Quadrantids Meteor Shower. It peaks in the hours right before dawn on Jan. 3, with a maximum number of meteors per hour of about 80.

The Quadrantids come from an asteroid called 2003 EH1, just as the Geminids did in early December. Meteor showers usually are named based on the constellations where they originate. Quadrans Muralis (mural quadrant) between Bootes and Draco.

The meteor shower is expected to "last only a few hours," according to NASA.com. That means you should look for it in the the night of Jan. 2-3, not the night of Jan. 3-4. The moon will set after midnight, so the best time to view the meteors will be between then and sunrise at about 7:50 a.m. 

If there is cloud cover in Inver Grove Heights on that night, you can watch a Ustream feed of the meteor shower on Jan. 2-4 on NASA.com.

Obviously, you'll have more luck catching the shooting stars if you're in a place not polluted by light.

Inver Grove Heights city parks could serve as prime locations to watch the light show. Click here for a park close to you.

Related Topics: Inver Grove Heights, Inver Grove Heights Parks, NASA, Quadrans Muralis (mural quadrant), Quadrantids Meteor Shower, and geminids

Leave a comment