It seems 2021 is starting off strong, in celestial phenomena at least.  The Town of Jupiter seems to draw a lot of confusion with our planetary namesake of Jupiter.  Lest one not confuse our beautiful, seaside Town of Jupiter to planet Jupiter. Let us recall with the epic celestial meeting of Jupiter and Saturn for the great conjunction, and a once-in-a-lifetime comet, 2020 was a big year for celestial phenomena. NASA calls one of the “best annual meteor showers,” will peak from January 2 into January 3,. According to the International Meteor Organization the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower should be visible in our area night sky this weekend.

The Quadrantids mark the final meteor shower of the season.  Then several months will pass with little celestial activity. According to the American Meteor Society,  this one has the potential to be the strongest shower of the year.

During the brief window from Saturday night into Sunday morning, there is a chance to spot between 60 to 200 meteors per hour traveling at 25.5 miles per second. Quadrantids are known for bright fireball meteors, which are larger explosions of light and color that last longer than the typical meteor streak.

Despite the shower’s potential, it will be brief . The window of maximum activity is just six hours.  Like all meteor showers, you will want to get away from all bright city lights for best viewing, lying flat on your back and giving your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the dark. Be patient, after the this meteor shower another meteor shower will not occur for three months.

The 31st International Meteor Organization Meteor Shower Calendar is available here.