You might be able to see a meteor shower in UAE skies on Friday night

It’s expected at night between January 3 and January 4…

Stargazers, get yourself in position as a spectacular meteor shower is expected to be seen in UAE skies on Friday night.

The National Aeronatics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on Twitter that a rare Quantradid meteor shower is set to light up skies across the world in the early hours of January 4.

It’s estimated that the meteor shower will last around four hours, between Friday, January 3 and Saturday, January 4, peaking at around 3am. You could see up to 40 meteors, which can reach between 50 and 100 metres, per hour at the shower’s peak.

The best chance to see the shower is to position yourself looking North East after midnight on January 4.

What’s up in the January sky?

? Morning meteors
? Mars meets its “rival”
? The Moon comes around for another visit with Venus

Find out when and where to look up: https://t.co/biUIbQM6HQ pic.twitter.com/FXuU1MUZlo

— NASA (@NASA) January 1, 2020

Whilst the window of chance to see them is narrower than some other showers, it’s believed that this will be a spectacle worth seeing as Quandratids are fireball meteors, meaning they’re much brighter and more colourful than others you might have seen.

NASA advised that spectators will get the clearest visuals away from city lights and somewhere that is very dark. People are encouraged to wrap up warm when watching the meteors as well as giving themselves a break from mobile phone usage in the lead up to it – to give your eyes time to adjust to the dark.

Not sure where to watch the Quandratid meteor shower from? The Dubai Astrology Group will be gathering in the Al Qudra Desert to watch, and you can join them too, with tickets for the event priced from Dhs120 per adult and Dhs70 per child.

You won’t need a telescope to enjoy the show – it can be seen from the bare human eye.

What a way to start January 2020…

Images: Getty