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The new year begins with the peak of the Quadrantids, one of the most powerful meteor showers of the year, according to NASA.

But keep your eyes peeled, because with a peak lasting only about six hours instead of several days, the Quadrantids are also one of the fastest meteor showers to blaze across the night sky.

Meteors are remnants of broken asteroids and comet particles that spread out in dusty orbits orbiting the sun. Every year, Earth passes through debris trails, and chunks of dust and rock create colorful, fiery features called meteor showers as they decay in our planet’s atmosphere.

The Quadrantids’ peak is so limited compared to most meteor showers because the shower has only a thin stream of particles, and the densest concentration of those particles quickly passes through Earth at a perpendicular angle, according to NASA.

Maximum meteor activity is expected to peak on Jan. 3 between 10 a.m. ET and 1 p.m. ET (15-18 UTC), favoring Alaska, Hawaii and Far East Asia, said Bob Lunsford, fireball reports coordinator for the American Meteor Society.

According to EarthSky, the best time to spot the meteor shower is the hours before sunrise.

Sky watchers on the East Coast of North America could see up to 25 meteors streaking across the sky, while those on the West Coast could see twice as many meteors due to a later sunrise, Lunsford said. And if skies remain clear over western Alaska, shower viewers could see more than 100 meteors per hour, he said.

The waxing crescent moon, only 11% full, will set well before midnight, allowing unobstructed viewing of the meteor shower, Lunsford said.

While the Quadrantids do not have long, sustained pulls, they are capable of producing bright fireballs for a dramatic display. According to NASA, fireballs are bright explosions of light and color associated with larger particles and linger longer than typical meteor streaks.

The Quadrantids are not typically visible in the Southern Hemisphere because the shower’s radiant point, or the point from which the meteors appear to come, does not rise as high in the sky before dawn.

If you live in an urban area, you may want to drive to a place that doesn’t have a lot of bright city lights. If you find an area not affected by light pollution, meteors could be visible every few minutes from late evening until dawn.

Find an open area with a wide view of the sky. Make sure you have a chair or blanket so you can look straight up. And give your eyes about 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness — without looking at your phone — to make the meteors easier to spot.

If the name of the meteor shower seems unusual, it’s probably because the name doesn’t sound like it’s associated with a constellation. That’s because the Quadrantids’ namesake constellation no longer exists – at least not as a recognized constellation.

The constellation Quadrans Muralis, first observed and mentioned in 1795 between Boötes and Draco, is no longer included in the International Astronomical Union’s list of modern constellations as it is considered obsolete and no longer used as a landmark for celestial navigation, according to EarthSky.

According to EarthSky, the shower’s radiation point lies at a right angle between the Big Dipper and the bright star Arcturus. But the meteors will be visible in all parts of the sky, so it’s not necessary to look only in that direction.

Like the Geminid meteor shower, the Quadrantids come 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 and is 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) in diameter.

However, according to EarthSky, astronomers believe that a second object, Comet 96P/Machholz, may also contribute to the shower. The comet orbits the sun every 5.3 years.

Scientists believe a larger comet appeared around 2000 B.C. BC was bound by gravity in a short orbit around the sun. The comet left behind meteorites for years before breaking up sometime between the years 100 and 950. As a result, the comet left behind many celestial offspring, collectively known as the Machholz complex, which includes the parent bodies of the Quadrantid meteor shower Comet 96P/Machholz and the asteroid 2003 EH1, as well as two distinct comet groups and eight meteor showers, according to EarthSky.

After the Quadrantids, meteor shower activity subsides somewhat, and the next one will not occur until April. Here are the rain showers still expected and their peak dates in 2025.

Lyrics: 21st-22nd April

Eta Aquariids: 3rd-4th centuries May

South Delta Aquariids: 29th–30th July

Alpha Capricorns: March 29-30 July

Perseids: 12th-13th centuries August

Draconids: 8th-9th October

Orionids: 22–23. October

Southern Taurids: 3rd–4th centuries November

Northern Taurids: 8th–9th centuries November

Leonids: 16th-17th centuries November

Geminids: 12th–13th December

Ursids: 21st-22nd December