Skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere are gearing up for one of the most spectacular celestial displays of the year tonight—the Quadrantid meteor shower. The meteor shower has a brief but powerful peak,

However, the Quadrantid influx is sharply peaked: six hours before and after maximum, these blue meteors appear at only half of their highest rates. This means that the stream of particles is a narrow one — possibly derived relatively recently from a small comet.

The Quadrantids, the first meteor shower of the New Year, has the potential to be one of the year's best – if the weather cooperates.