2021 is starting off strong with the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower, which NASA calls one of the “best annual meteor showers,” this weekend.
According to the American Meteor Society, it has the potential to be the strongest shower of the year, along with the Perseids and the Geminids.
During the brief window from Saturday night (January 2, 2021) into Sunday morning, there is a chance to spot between 60 to 200 meteors per hour traveling at 25.5 miles per second. Quadrantids are known for bright fireball meteors, which are larger explosions of light and color that last longer than the typical meteor streak.
Despite the shower’s potential, it will be brief: the window of maximum activity is just six hours.
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