Quadrantid 2020 Meteor Shower Peak: How To See It In Michigan
MICHIGAN (PATCH) — The year 2020 starts off with what could be an above-average display of Quadrantid meteors during the shower's annual peak on the late evening and predawn morning of Jan. 3-4. Whether you'll be able to see the fiery display depends not only on the weather forecast in Michigan, but also on careful timing.
The National Weather Service forecast for Metro Detroit during the Quadrantids peak calls for a 50 percent chance of rain or snow, so seeing them is a toss up.
Unlike other shooting-star shows with multi-night peaks, the Quadrantids crescendo lasts only a few hours, from around 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. local time. Despite the narrow viewing time, the Quadrantids are worth the effort it takes to get to a dark sky at precisely the right moment.
Not only are the Quadrantids famous for spitting out dazzling fireballs in an array of colors and brightness, this year could produce up to 120 shooting stars an hour during the peak viewing time, around 5 a.m. local time Saturday, Space.com reported. That's about three times the rate of normal years.
The Quadrantids are also different from other meteor showers because they're made up of larger hunks of cosmic rock, resulting in the shower's spectacular streaks as they collide with Earth's atmosphere.
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