A small part of the Milky Way is visible in the night sky over Falkenhagen streets in Brandenburg, Germany, on December 18, 2020.
(CNN) -
The New Year begins with the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower Saturday night into early Sunday morning.
While it may be one of the strongest of the year, a bright waning gibbous moon will likely limit the number of meteors visible.
It is also difficult to observe due to the harsh January weather and the short peak, approximately six hours.
It will be best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere between 2 a.m. local time and sunrise.
Typically 50 to 100 meteors are seen per hour, especially in rural areas.
While the bright moon will reduce this number, you may be able to see more meteors if the sky is clear in your area.
Check the time and date to see what your chances are, or go out and see for yourself.
How to appreciate the meteor shower
Look at the northeastern sky and look halfway.
You can even glimpse some fireballs during the meteor shower.
Observe the skies for at least an hour, according to the advice of the American Meteor Society.
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If the name of the meteor shower sounds strange, it's probably because it doesn't sound like it's related to a constellation, like other meteor showers.
That's because the eponymous constellation Quadrantids no longer exists, at least not as a recognized constellation.
The constellation Quadrans Muralis, first observed and noted in 1795 between Bootes and Draco, is no longer included in the International Astronomical Union's list of modern constellations because it is considered obsolete.
The meteor shower radiates between Big Dipper and Bootes.
LOOK: The 5 events that you should not miss in 2021
Like the Geminid meteor shower, the Quadrantid comes from a mysterious asteroid or "rock comet," rather than an icy comet, which is unusual.
This particular asteroid is 2003 EH1, which takes 5.52 years to orbit the sun once.
The short peak of the rain is because only a small stream of particles interacts with our atmosphere, and the stream occurs at a perpendicular angle.
Every year the Earth passes this debris trail for a short time.
If you live in an urban area, you may want to drive somewhere that is not filled with city lights obstructing your view.
If you can find an area that is not affected by light pollution, meteors could be visible every two minutes from night to sunrise.
Find an open area with a wide view of the sky, and don't forget to bundle up.
Make sure you have a chair or blanket so you can look up.
And give your eyes 20-30 minutes to adjust to the dark, without looking at your phone, so meteors are easier to spot.
Eyes in the sky in 2021
The Quadrantids kick off the first of 12 meteor showers in 2021.
Typical of a normal year, 2021 will also have 12 full moons.
(Last year it had 13 full moons, two of which were in October.)
Here are all the full moons and their names that occur this year, according to the Farmer's Almanac:
January 28 - Wolf Moon
February 27 - Snow Moon
March 28 - Worm Moon
April 26 - Pink Moon
May 26 - Flower Moon
June 24 - Strawberry Moon
July 23 - Buck moon
August 22 - Sturgeon Moon
September 20 - Harvest Moon
October 20 - Hunter's Moon
November 19 - Beaver Moon
December 18 - Cold Moon
This year, there will be two eclipses of the sun and two eclipses of the moon, and three of these will be visible to some in North America, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
A total lunar eclipse will occur on May 26, best visible to those in western North America and Hawaii from 4:46 a.m. to 9:51 a.m. (Miami time).
An annular solar eclipse will occur on June 10, visible in the north and northeast of North America from 4:12 am to 9:11 am (Miami time).
The sun will not be completely blocked by the moon, so be sure to wear eclipse glasses to view this event safely.
November 19 will see a partial lunar eclipse and sky watchers in North America and Hawaii will see it between 1 a.m. and 7:06 a.m. (Miami time).
And the year ends with a total solar eclipse on December 4.
It will not be seen in North America, but in the Falkland Islands, the southern tip of Africa, Antarctica and southeastern Australia you can see it.