With 2023 now underway, we have the first meteor shower of the year and you can look out for it tonight (January 3).

The Quadrantid meteor shower is expected to peak on Tuesday evening with clear skies visible until the early morning of January 4.

This meteor shower is said to be among the strongest and most consistent and could reach a maximum rate of 110 meteors per hour.

What are Quadrantids?

Quadrantids are blue meteors with fine trains that appear to come from the constellation Bootes, near the Big Dipper.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: Sky gazers can look out for the meteor shower that will peak on January 3Sky gazers can look out for the meteor shower that will peak on January 3 (Image: PA Graphics)

Meteors are pieces of debris which enter Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of up to 43 miles per second (70 kilometres per second), vaporising and causing the streaks of light we call meteors.

How to see the Quadrantid meteor shower

The shower will be visible to the naked eye in areas of low light pollution but as the peak is expected to occur just before the full moon, the moonlight will cause some interference.

Other meteor showers tend to stay at their peak for two days but the Quadrantid is expected to only peak for a few hours.