More than 50 “shooting stars” an hour could be visible in the UK this evening as one of “Earth’s most spectacular” meteor showers lights up the skies.
People will be able to see the Quadrantid meteor shower until 12 January, the Royal Astronomical Society says, but the peak time started this afternoon and continues overnight.
Dr Robert Massey, the society’s deputy director, said anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of the celestial fireworks should get “as far away from light pollution as possible”.
In a video explaining the Quadrantids and how best to see them, he said the showers “have a pretty strong intensity if you happen to be in the right place at the right time”.
While this shower will not have “the brightest meteors on the whole”, it should include “a fair number of fireballs”, he added.
“A fireball is a dramatic sounding thing but what it really means is a really bright meteor. The Quadrantids is a meteor shower which produces that kind of event.
“So for that reason alone, if you have the time to look out and the weather is good, then do take a look because it’s a perfect New Year treat.”
Unlike many astronomical events, meteor showers are easy to watch and no special equipment is needed, the Royal Astronomical Society says.
They are best observed with the naked eye – but make sure you have a comfy chair, preferably reclining, and wrap up warm.
One mistake people might make is to try using binoculars or a telescope. Don’t do this, the experts say. This equipment will actually make it harder as you will only see a tiny part of the sky.
If you see shooting stars, you’ll probably want to take pictures – but your mobile phone won’t be much help as they disappear so quickly. Cameras with long exposures, which can be left running for a length of time – in some cases all night – are what’s needed.
Meteors are the result of small particles entering the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and heating up due to friction with the air.
They are usually destroyed in under a second at altitudes above 80km – but the superheated air around the meteor glows briefly, and is visible from the ground as a streak of light known as a “shooting star”.
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The Quadrantid meteor shower returns every year in early January, but the position of the moon this year should help visibility, Dr Massey said.
“You haven’t got a full moon in the sky – it’s a very thin crescent – [which] means the light will not be a big problem.”
Along the west coast of the US and Pacific region, there could be about 70 or 80 visible an hour. The UK will be slightly lower, Dr Massey said, “but it’s still a strong shower”.
