The Quadrantids meteor shower is a very strong shower that occurs at the beginning of each year in the month of January. Lasting for only a few short days between January 1st and January 5th, the time to view the Quadrantids is minimal but the show that they put on during these few days is spectacular.
The Quadrantids radiant is the constellation Boötes. This constellation can be found in the night sky between the constellations Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) and Draco. By locating one of these constellations in the sky, you will be able to find the location where the Quadrantids meteorites originate.
Unlike other long observed meteor showers, the Quadrantids were only first observed and noted during the early 1800’s. As a relatively “new” meteor shower in terms of observation, there is really very little known about the Quadrantid shower. In fact, much of the knowledge about the Quadrantid shower is pure speculation, with astronomers and scientists making a “best-guess” scenario about the shower and it’s origins.
Until 2003, astronomers were unable to determine what parent body was responsible for the shower that appeared each January. Now, astronomers assume that this shower is the remnants of asteroid 2003 EH1. Many scientists believe that this asteroid is actually an extinct comet that has already lost all of it’s ice during it’s orbits around the Sun. This however, is just one of the theories surrounding the origins of the Quadrantid shower, and it may be that astronomers will never truly know what cosmic body is responsible for this annual event.
Though meteors from the Quadrantids shower can actually be seen anywhere from December 28th to January 7th, the most active periods fall from January 1st through 5th, with a peak date of January 3rd. On this day it is possible to see anywhere from 10-60 meteors per hour when the shower peaks after midnight. Unfortunately, this activity is only best viewed in countries that have high northern latitudes like Norway, Sweden, Canada, etc. Observers that are located in the southern hemisphere are generally unable to see any streaks from the shower.