January's Shooting Stars: How to Spot the Quadrantids Tonight

Created: 01/03/2023 12:28 p.m

By: Tanya Banner

The year 2023 begins astronomically with the shooting star stream of the Quadrantids/Bootids.

But the observation window is very small.

Frankfurt – The new year starts right away with shooting stars: The Quadrantids are already active from December 28th and will reach their maximum activity on January 4th, 2023. Even if the Quadrantids promise a real rain of shooting stars with an average number of 110 meteors per hour, and Among the four most active meteor showers of the year, they will be extremely difficult to observe in 2023.

The maximum activity of the Quadrantids occurs on January 4 at 5:15 a.m. (CET) - while the very bright moon (full moon on January 7) is still in the sky.

Its light will mask numerous shooting stars, which is why good observation conditions only arise after it has set around 6:30 a.m.

But then there is a maximum of half an hour until it is too bright to see shooting stars at all.

Shooting Stars in January: Quadrantids/Bootids are difficult to observe in 2023

The starting point of the Quadrantids is the Wall Quadrant, which is now part of the Bootes constellation.

For this reason, the Quadrantids are sometimes also called Bootids.

The constellation Bootes stands high in the northeast in the early morning of January 4th.

The shooting stars appear to emanate from there, but can be seen across the sky.

Time for wishes: shooting stars dart across the night sky

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You need this equipment to watch shooting stars

If you want to try your luck with the Quadrantids despite poor observation conditions, you should look for a location that is as dark as possible and offers a good all-round view of the sky.

In order not to have to keep your head up all the time, it is advisable to lie down. You should also have warm clothing, drinks and blankets with you.

The most important rule when observing shooting stars is to be patient.

Shooting stars can suddenly appear anywhere in the sky - the probability that you will not see them all and therefore remain without a sighting for several minutes is high.

However, you do not need any technical equipment.

Shooting stars are best seen without binoculars or a telescope - just looking up at the sky with your bare eyes is enough.

Shooting stars in the night sky.

(Archive image) © imago/StockTrek Images

Shooting stars are formed when dust particles in the earth's atmosphere burn up

Shooting stars like the Quadrantids are formed when Earth orbits through the Sun through a dust trail left in space by a comet.

The small dust grains get into the earth's atmosphere and burn up - shooting stars can be seen on earth.

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Quadrantid shooting stars have a wildly fluctuating maximum

In the case of many regularly recurring shooting star streams, the mother body that causes the shooting stars is known.

In the case of the Geminids, for example, it is the asteroid (3200) Phaeton.

With the Quadrantids, however, it is different: the original body is not known, researchers suspect that it is the asteroid "2003 EH1" discovered in 2003, whose orbit corresponds well with the shooting star stream.

Meteor expert Peter Jenniskens assumes that 2003 EH1 is the inactive remnant of a formerly much larger comet nucleus.

When this collapsed, the Quadrantids are said to have arisen, among other things.

Shooting stars at a glance

When does it rain shooting stars from the sky?

Which shooting star stream promises a particularly large number of meteors?

The shooting stars calendar will tell you.

The maximum of the Quadrantids is highly variable.

Experts have already determined everything from 60 to 190 shooting stars per hour.

In about 300 years, however, the Quadrantid/Bootid stream of shooting stars should no longer exist: then the earth will no longer meet the dust trail in space - the Quadrantids will have become unobservable.

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