Quandrantid Meteor Shower
One of the year's best meteor showers, the Quadrantid meteor shower, is about to peak overnight on the 3rd and 4th of January, depending on where you are in the world.
The annual meteor shower is thought to be triggered by Earth passing through the tail of rubble that follows behind the small Solar System body 2003 EH1. As these little pieces of debris and space dust burn up in Earth's atmosphere, they cause spectacular shooting stars - up to 100 every hour.
The good news: this year, the meteor shower will appear especially bright because the Moon is a waxing crescent and only partially illuminated, making the Quadrantids easier to see.
The bad news: the shower is pretty much only viewable from the Northern Hemisphere, seeing as the shooting stars appear to originate near the northern star formation, the Big Dipper.
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