2023-12-23 09:37:58
The Quadrantid meteor shower will cause the first “starfall” of 2024, writes the website of the Natural History Museum in London. The meteors become active as early as December 28, but they will not reach their peak until January 4.
At this time, up to 110 light phenomena can appear in the sky every hour, including particularly spectacular fireballs.
The Quadrantids will be visible with less intensity, but after the maximum, until January 12.
The Quadrantids are responsible for one of the most beautiful annual meteor showers, yet they are not very well known, since people are rarely outside on cold winter nights. Those who do decide to observe should withdraw from light pollution and wait patiently until their eyes adjust to the dark.
The meteors appear to be coming from the constellation Quadrans Muralis, the so-called radiant of the shooting star. However, objects can appear anywhere in the sky.
During the peak, we will be more than a week past the last full moon, so the natural light conditions will be relatively favorable. Of course, bad weather and thick cloud cover can make the experience even worse.
The real source of the Quadrantids is the asteroid 2003 EH1: debris falls from the asteroid during its journey, and when the Earth meets these particles, they enter the atmosphere and form shooting stars, officially called meteors. 2003 EH1, as its name suggests, was discovered in 2003, the object is roughly 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) across and orbits the Sun in 5.52 years.
#shooting #star