Quadrantid Meteor Shower

This shower of medium speed meteors can be seen radiating from a point in the north-east, assuming a cloudless sky. The bright, waning, gibbous moon may hinder viewing slightly this year but it's worth looking out this evening after 19.00 GMT as the hourly rate has been as much as 120 meteors per hour in recent times although this is more likely to be 40-60 per hour.

Lower numbers should be visible between the 1st and 5th January but the peak numbers are expected on the night of 3rd and the morning of 4th January.

GEMINIDS - Meteor Shower

Every year, from the 12th-14th December (the peak on the 13th) it is possible, and very likely, that you will see meteors or shooting stars in the night sky. These meteors appear to come from the area of the constellation of Gemini but can actually be seen almost anywhere in the sky and are fairly easy to spot - especially in the absence of light pollution (street lights etc) or a bright moon. Unfortunately, there is a full moon on the 12th this year so this could make viewing more difficult. The peak viewing rate can be as much as 120 per hour at a dark site.
This meteor shower is caused by what is thought to be an extinct comet and were first observed only 150 years ago. Meteors are small fragments (not much bigger than a grain of sand) of cosmic debris which vapourise due to friction with the air when entering the earth's atmosphere. Fragments which do land on the earth's surface are called meteorites.