The peak of the Quadrantids meteor shower is this week, which could be the most spectacular shower of the year. There will be up to 50 meters or more visible per hour when the shower is at its peak. We have the information on how to watch a night of astronomy.
The shower should be visible across the northern hemisphere between January 2 and January 4. When Earth passes through clouds of debris, small particles of the debris enter the atmosphere. The shower particles will burn up in the atmosphere at a rate of 25 miles per second. They create a streak of light across the sky when they burn up.
A finder chart depicting the location of the shower is in Astronomy Now magazine. Greg Smye-Rumsby is an astronomer.
The shower is named after the constellation Quadrans Muralis, where the first observations of the shower appeared in 1824. The name of the constellation was agreed by the International Astronomical Union in 1922 but did not include Quadrans Muralis.
How to watch the shower.
The best view of the shower will be on the night of January 2 and the morning of January 3. The best view will be at 20:40 GMT on 3 January. The number of meteors drops off by 50% two hours later. The UK can see a decent display of meteors when the radiant is higher in the sky and in the hours before dawn.
Sometimes the moon can interfere with viewing showers if it is very bright, but the RAS says this shouldn't be a problem for this shower: "This time the Moon will be just past New, so will its light will not interfere with the view and there will be a real benefit from
The good news is that you don't need special equipment to watch the shower. Look up after dark. The RAS says that the meteor showers are easy to watch and no special equipment is needed. The best way to view a meteor shower is with the naked eye, but a reclining chair, a warm blanket and a hot drink make viewing more comfortable on a cold January night.
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