The First Meteor Shower of 2015: Catch its Peak Tonight

Every January, star watchers get an opportunity kick off their new year with the beautiful sight of meteors streaking across the sky. That's all thanks to the Quadrantids meteor shower, which is expected to peak very early this approaching Sunday morning.

Canadians and Americans in the northeast are especially encouraged to stay up late and grab their heaviest coasts, as NASA says that during its peak, people in the Northern Hemisphere see up to 80 Quadrantid meteors per hour.

"To view the Quadrantids, find an area well away from city or street lights," the agency advises. "Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing northeast and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient - the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse."

The show is normally considered to be one of the best annual meteor showers visible in these parts, as it has some unusual origins.

Unlike common showers, which come from the Earth passing through clouds of dust and ice - debris shed by comets as they spiral closer to the Sun - the Quadrantids originate from a field of space-rocks discarded by the asteroid 2003 EH1 burning up in our atmosphere. It is suspected that this small asteroid may not be so much a solid piece of rock as it is a clump of "pebbles" held together by the sheer forces of gravity and friction as it hurtles around the Sun every 5.52 years.

Unfortunately, 2015's show might not be worth enduring the cold, as we are only two nights away from a full moon. During its peak tonight, the sky will be awash with brilliant moonlight, paling surrounding stars and meteors.

Still, skywatchers could get lucky. Because of its unusual nature, the Quadrantids have been known to boast "fireballs" - larger intensely burning meteors that can even end in rare but brilliant explosions - more than enough to see past the moon's pale haze.

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