2024-01-03 17:46:24
The shower of shooting stars from the Quadrantids will light up the sky during the night from Wednesday to Thursday.
It is one of the most prolific shooting star showers of the year. Until Friday January 5, the sky will be illuminated by the shooting stars of the Quadrantids. A peak of illuminations will take place during the night of Wednesday January 3 to Thursday January 4. According to the International Meteor Organization, around 200 meteors per hour could pass through the sky for six hours.
The Quadrantids take place at the beginning of each year and are considered by NASA to be “one of the best shooting star showers» due to the number of visible meteors and their intense brightness. From January 1 to 5, the Earth encounters the Quadrantid swarm, which would come from the Konzik-Peltier comet, explains the specialized magazine Sciences & Vie. These shooting stars are actually pieces of the asteroid “2003 EH1» that the Earth encounters each year in its rotation around the Sun. When this debris enters our atmosphere at very high speed, it disintegrates and creates fiery, colorful trails in the sky.
Moon too bright
The Quadrantids are best observed in the northern hemisphere. However, the observation conditions will not be optimal on Wednesday night because the Moon will be in its last crescent and its brightness should harm the show. There Nasa recommends, however, to “find a place away from city lights, lie on your back with your feet facing northeast and look up“. No equipment is necessary to observe shooting stars since in less than thirty minutes the eyes adapt to the darkness and allow you to admire the spectacle.
The next shower of shooting stars, the Minorids γ-Ursae, is expected around January 19.
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