There is a small and welcome display of meteors to begin the New Year. The Quadrantids meteor shower takes place in the wee hours of Thursday morning. The best time is around 3 a.m. and this shower is relatively short. The shower's radiant is under the Big Dipper rising in the Northeastern sky after midnight. While it is not a common shower, the next shower isn't for months, until April's Lyrid meteor shower. So, by default the Quadrantids has some degree of popularity among those who enjoy seeing shooting stars crossing the sky.

The shower is named after Quadrans Muralis, a constellation no one talks about anymore. The radiant is located under the Big Dipper and right where the constellations Bootis, Draco and Hercules meet. These are spring time constellations, not visible until after midnight at this time of year. The ideal time is closer to 4 a.m. and you could see upwards of dozens of meteors in an hour. The moon is close to crescent, just past last quarter and will put a damper on seeing the faintest of meteors.

We've read reports that the shower can produce as many as 100 meteors in an hour of viewing, but we aren't that hopeful. If you are up that early you'll see the bright planet Venus nearby. Venus is the brightest of planets in the morning sky. The planet Mercury is close to the horizon and you may see it. Mars is just too close too the rising sun to be easy to find low in the southeastern sky.