Next Month, Watch The New Mexico Skies Light Up During One Of The Best Meteor Showers Of The Year
Winter is the perfect time of year to watch the night skies in New Mexico. The nights are longer, the skies appear clearer, and this is also the time of year when multiple meteor showers shoot across the sky.
In early to mid-December, we see the Geminid meteor shower create an incredible light show. And in January? We get treated to yet another beautiful meteor shower, this time the Quadrantid.
The Quadrantid meteor shower runs between December 12 and January 12 but will reach its peak on January 4, 2020. This is when you'll be able to spot the highest number of meteors flying across the sky, at a rate of about 109 per hour!
New Mexicans hoping to see the sky light up with meteors will need to stay up late. According to the website In The Sky, the shower will peak here around 2 a.m. and continue on just before sunrise on January 4.
Lucky us, the lunar cycle won't interfere with our viewing opportunities. The moon will set before the meteor shower begins, so we'll have a wonderfully dark sky that evening.
You'll be able to see the meteor shower from anywhere in the state that night but if you're hoping to increase the number of meteors you'll see, be sure to visit one of the state's International Dark Sky places, such as Capulin Volcano National Monument.
Where do you plan to watch the Quadrantid meteor shower in 2020? We would love to hear your experience and see any photos you may have from that evening!
Monica is a Diné (Navajo) freelance writer and photographer based in the Southwest. Born in Gallup and raised in Phoenix, she is Tódich'ii'nii (Bitter Water People) and Tsi'naajinii (Black Streak Wood People). Monica is a staff writer for Only In Your State, photo editor for The Mesa Legend, and previously a staff writer for The Navajo Post. You can reach her at monica.d.spencer@gmail.com.
