Community Corner

Catch 2012's First Meteor Shower Tonight

The Quadrantid meteor shower looks to produce roughly 100 shooting stars each hour.

With clear skies tonight, the first meteor shower of the 2012 looks to give stargazers across the North Hemisphere quite a show, according to the Huffington Post.

Peaking at 2:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 4, the Quadrantid meteor shower may produce as many as 100 shooting stars per hour, according to NASA. With the moon setting at roughly 3 a.m. EST, those in North America will be treated to a "brief, beautiful show" tonight. Space.com cautions that the Quantrantids are known for their unpredictability, but that this meteor shower "may end up being one of the best of 2012," due in large part to tonight's forecast of clear skies.

The catch: temperatures look to dip into the low teens tonight in North Kingstown, so make sure to bundle up and stay warm if you plan to catch the show.

Find out what's happening in North Kingstownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Unlike longer meteor showers such as Geminid and Perseid, the Quadrantids will only be around briefly. Viewing windows might only be possible between 2:30 and 5 a.m. with a peak around 3 or 4 a.m.


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