Most Utahns have slim chance of seeing meteor shower

Sarah Dallof reportingA big meteor shower is taking place tonight, but people in Utah may be out of luck when it comes to watching it.

It's going to be an amazing meteor shower. However, because of cloud cover, forecasters say Blanding is the only Utah town that has a fair shot at seeing it. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

For six hours tonight hundreds of streaks of light will fill the sky. It's part of an annual meteor shower that's catching the attention of novice and experienced stargazers.

Seven-year-old Jake told us, "[It] kind of looks like a star, but moving fast."

Mike Murray, program director of the Clark Planetarium, explained, "This one is called the Quadrantid, after an old constellation that no longer exists."

This year is special: There's little moonlight tonight, which would make the view extra spectacular.

"You want as much of a clear sky as you can get because the meteors may emanate from the northeast, but they'll fly all across the sky," Murray said.

Neither the planetarium nor local observatories we spoke with have anything special planned for tonight. Because of the gray skies, you're just not going to see much.

"Unfortunately the forecast -- you know Murphy's Law for astronomy observing. It just doesn't look as clear as it could be," Murray said.

But Murray is still encouraging people to give it a try late tonight, after midnight.

"It's best to use your naked eye. Get a lawn chair, bundle up, get hot chocolate," he suggests.

With a lot of luck the skies might clear, and your late-night waiting for meteors will be worth it. If that doesn't happen, we'll have another chance in April. That's the next meteor shower. Also, the shower tonight is an annual thing, so there's always next year.

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