The Quadrantids are interesting because their source is not obvious, but the most likely one (as noted in the article) is an asteroid with a relatively unusual orbit that is likely an extinct comet.
Lately, meteor shower watching has turned into a bit of a letdown compared to my childhood experiences. Back then, I grew up in a small town blessed with consistently clear and dark skies, where meteor showers were nothing short of spectacular.
As a kid, the notion of a night sky having any hue other than pitch black seemed unimaginable. But now I find myself residing in a city with severe light pollution, casting an orange glow across the sky. The radiance from street lamps significantly dulls the experience. Instead of watching a few meteors streak across the sky every minute, I now find myself waiting patiently for several minutes just to catch a glimpse of one!
I hadn't necessarily grown up meteorgazing, but it had always been a thing to drive away from the city (and, dare i say, added to the treat of it to have to do that) in order to reveal the skies.
But California these days seems to bring yet another "record-breaking" wildfire season every year now that completely obscures the view during the Perseids. I suppose that's not as likely to be a worry for the Quadrantids, though.
> Some of the Northern Sky's former constellations were placed in the less populated regions between the traditional brighter constellations just to fill gaps. In the Southern Sky, new constellations were often created from about the 15th century [...] European countries [...] often supported and popularised their own constellation outlines. In some cases, different constellations occupied overlapping areas and included the same stars.
The Quadrantids are interesting because their source is not obvious, but the most likely one (as noted in the article) is an asteroid with a relatively unusual orbit that is likely an extinct comet.