The Quadrantid meteor shower is one of the year's best, producing more than 100 meteors per hour from a radiant near the North Star. In 2011 forecasters expect the shower to peak sometime between 21:00 UT (3:00 pm EST) on January 3 and 06:00 UT (01:00 am EST) on January 4. The peak is brief, typically lasting no more than an hour or so. Observers who wish to try to catch it are advised to look during the hours before local dawn on Tuesday, Jan. 4th, when the shower's radiant is high in the sky.

Although the Quadrantids are a major shower, they are seldom observed. One reason is weather. The shower peaks in early January when northern winter is in full swing. Storms and cold tend to keep observers inside. In 2008, NASA scientists went to extremes to gain a good view; they flew an airplane above the clouds and over the Arctic Circle where they saw many Quadrantids: