Quadrantid Meteor Shower 2013 To Light Up Night Sky Starting New Year's Day

The Quadrantid meteor shower, a.k.a the Quadrantids, will be active from January 1 to January 7, 2013, astronomers at the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

View of the eastern sky on January 4, 2012 at 2:01a.m.

According to PAGASA, the annual meteor shower will peak on January 3-4 in which it will yield at least 40 meteors per hour.

Unfortunately, light from a waning gibbous moon will interfere in the display, cutting down on the number of meteors seen by sky watchers, it added.

"The Quadrantid meteor shower hits the Earth’s atmosphere at the rate of about 40 kilometers per second," PAGASA wrote. "The incinerated dust are said to be particles apparently derived from the debris ejected by the near-Earth asteroid 2003 EH."

Originating from an asteroid, called 2003 EH1, the Quadrantid meteor shower derives its name from the constellation of Quadrans Muralis (mural quadrant), which was created by the French astronomer Jerome Lalande in 1795. Even though the constellation is no longer recognized by astronomers, it was around long enough to give the meteor shower, which was first seen in 1825, its name.

Photo courtesy of PAGASA