The quadrant meteorite range is reaching a climax and North American viewers have a good chance of seeing the tail’s end of the show tonight.
This annual meteorite series is usually between January 3 and January 4 each year. This year has so far provided less than ideal views for aerial viewers, as the moon was 81% full overnight on January 3rd. The quadrants are fairly faint meteors, so moonlight can easily erase them. However, the moon is waning, so January 4 may allow better meteoric spots if it is at a slower rate than during the January 3 peak.
To see the quadrantids, look for a dark place with minimal light pollution. Beat the moonrise or wait if it can after the sunset. Dress warmly and let your eyes adjust for 15 to 20 minutes in the dark. The meteors appear to be from the constellation Boötes. To find the constellation, you must first find the Big Dipper in the northern sky. Then follow the handle of the Big Dipper to the bright star Arcturus, which anchors the bottom of Boötes. The constellation looks a bit like a crooked kite with a short tail. You can find out when this constellation (the “radiant” meteor shower) will be above the horizon by your location on the Time and Date Meteorite Leaflet.
During its peak, which lasts only a few hours, the Quadrantid shower can deliver about 120 meteors per hour. Outside the peak, viewers can still see about 25 meteors per hour.
The quadrantide is a shower of dust and rock from the asteroid 2003 EH1, which is probably an extinct comet that has lost its long, icy tail. The meteors get their name from the name of a now dilapidated constellation, Quadrans Muralis, a square figure invented by the astronomer Jérôme Lalande in 1795. In 1922, when the International Astronomical Union compiled a list of internationally recognized constellations, they stopped inventing Lalande in favor of Boetes, which had a longer history (recognized in ancient Greece and in ancient Babylon). ). The name of the meteor shower associated with Quadrans Muralis has not changed, although the Quadrantids are sometimes called the Bootids.
After the quadrants, the Lyrids, taking place in mid-April, will be the next best chance for meteor shower. This year, the best viewing is likely to be in the for the morning hours of 22 April, according to EarthSky magazine.
Originally published on Live Science.