Update: If you’re reading these words the peak of the Quadrantid Meteor Shower has passed. But if you missed it, you can check out this slideshow or check out the video embedded below the jump.
Earlier: If you didn’t see any fireworks on New Year’s Eve, you might want to look to the skies tonight (well, technically very early tomorrow). That’s when the Quadrantid Meteor Shower will reach its peek visibility for the year.
Between 3 a.m. and sunrise Thursday morning, as many as 120 meteors an hour fall to earth in the shower. That could make for quite a show, but there’s a problem for people who want to watch in Texas. Actually, there are two of them.
Many parts of the state are expecting cloudy weather. That alone could be a Quandrantid killer for a lot of stargazers, specifically those in Central and East Texas. And even if you’re under clear skies tonight, the moon could get between you and the shooting stars. It will be in a bright gibbous phase, and all that light could overpower the view of weaker meteors.
For those who are not likely to catch the show outdoors there is one final option, and it doesn’t involve stepping into the cold winter air.
NASA will be live streaming a video of the shower from a camera mounted at its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. It’s set to begin streaming at approximately 5 p.m. Central Time.
If you still want to check the showers the old fashioned way, NASA has a few simple tips.
To view Quadrantids, go outside and allow your eyes 30-45 minutes to adjust to the dark. Look straight up, allowing your eyes to take in as much of the sky as possible.
It couldn’t get much more simple than that.