January Meteor Shower 2013; Quadrantid Meteor Shower Peak Times and Live Stream
The Quadrantid meteor shower began on Jan. 1 and will continue to light up the evening sky over the next few nights.
The shower will peak during around 3 a.m. and display a maximum rate of around 100 meteors per hour, according to NASA.
The show may not be as bright as previous years due to the moon which is in its bright gibbous phase which may interfere with the viewers on Earth watching the shower.
British meteor expert Alastair McBeath was quoted by MSNBC about the moonlight: "The waning gibbous moon causes severe problems for detailed observations of the Quadrantid maximum in 2013."
The lunar brightness evidently hinders full viewing of the meteor shower once out of every three years and 2013 falls on the poor visibility year.
There are some tips for making the best out of the poor viewing situation.
Star gazers should look toward the northeast to find the Big Dipper for the best observation of the Quadrantid meteor shower. Most of the meteors will be viewable above the handle of the Big Dipper constellation.
The best viewing spots will be for viewers in the northern hemisphere. It is also recommended to move out of the vicinity of bright city lights as well as to find areas with little cloud cover that can impede proper viewing of the celestial event.
Viewers unable to see the meteor shower from the skies near them can watch the live stream of the event on Space.com. The live webcast will begin during Wednesday evening when the Quadrantid meteor shower will reach its peak and continue broadcasting on through Friday.
A live stream will be provided by scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center with images taken from an all-sky camera outside the space center in Huntsville, Ala.
