Quadrantid Meteor Shower Peak: Viewing Tips For VA Skywatchers

VIRGINIA — The often overlooked Quadrantid meteor shower doesn’t peak until overnight Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 3 and 4, 2023, but if you step outside and look at the skies over Virginia anytime before then, you may see a few fireballs streaking across the sky.

The weather forecast for Northern Virginia shows a 71 percent chance of showers on Tuesday, with rain expected to continue into Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. So, your chance of seeing the meteors may be diminished.

The Quadrantids are potentially the strongest meteor shower of the year, but a 92 percent full moon will interfere with viewing. Also, the window to see the peak is only six hours. The best time to see the meteors is about an hour before dawn on Wednesday, when skies will be moon free. The moon sets at 5:42 a.m. in Virginia that morning.

The Quadrantids can produce over 100 meteors per hour, but average rates are around 25 an hour, according to the American Meteor Society. The shower remains active until Jan. 16. Though Quadrantid meteors lack persistent trains, the shower is known for producing bright fireballs.

Because the moon will interfere, it’s especially important to find a dark sky well away from city or streetlights. NASA advises serious meteor watchers to lie flat on their backs with their feet facing northeast, so they can take in as much of the sky as possible. Be sure to prepare for winter weather with sleeping bags and blankets.

Virginia State Parks has four parks designated as International Dark Sky Parks by the International Dark-Sky Association: Staunton River, James River, Natural Bridge and Sky Meadows.

Other sports for star-gazing include: Assateague Island National Seashore, Grayson Highlands State Park, James River State Park, Meadows of Dan, Natural Bridge State Park, Natural Chimneys Park, Rappahannock County Park, and Shenandoah National Park, according to Space Tourism Guide.

• Related: 2023 Guide To Meteor Showers And Supermoons

Like the Geminid meteor shower, the Quadrantids originate from an asteroid first observed more than 500 years ago by Chinese astronomers. Most other meteor showers occur when Earth passes through debris left behind by comets.