The Quadrantids meteor shower is set to hit its peak on Thursday, when as many as a hundred meteors per hour could be visible.
The shower is expected to peak around 4 PM IST on Thursday, January 4, according to In the Sky. But for viewers in India, that would mean that the peak would happen during daytime, rendering the meteor shower invisible. But you will still be able to see a high rate of meteors on both January 4 and January 5. Even after the peak, the shower will continue till January 12. But of course, your chances of spotting meteors would drop drastically till then.
How to watch the eclipse
When viewed from New Delhithe meteor showers will not be visible until 12.07 AM each night. That is when the radiant point rises above the eastern horizon. The Quadrantids should remain active till dawn breaks around 6.46 AM. The Quadrantid meteor shower’s radiant point is in the constellation Bootes. The radiant point of a meteor shower is the location in the sky from which all the meteors will seem to emerge from.
For the best chances of seeing meteors, go to a dark and secluded outdoor spot with little to no light pollution and an open view of the horizon. Then, if possible, lie down and look in the direction of the radiant. Do remember that your eyes might take a few minutes to adjust to the darkness.
Where does this meteor shower come from
Meteor showers are often named after their “radiant point,” or the location in the sky where the meteors seem to emerge from when seen from Earth. The Quadrantids are named after the constellation Quadrans Muralis. That constellation was left off a list of constellations put together by the International Astronomical Union in 1922 but since the meteor shower was already named after it, the name stuck. But it is also sometimes called Bootids.
Meteor showers happen when our planet passes through the debris left behind by a comet or an asteroid. When that happens, the debris burns up in our planet’s atmosphere, creating beautiful “shooting stars.” The Quadrantids meteor shower is associated with the asteroid EH1, according to EarthSky.
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First uploaded on: 04-01-2024 at 13:44 IST
