Quadrantids meteor shower, the best of the year, to peak on January 3 & 4 this year

The year 2023 will begin with a meteor shower that is expected to peak on January 3 and 4. This meteor shower named the Quadrantids is considered to be one of the best annual meteor showers. According to NASA, one can see 60 to as many as 200 meteors per hour under perfect night conditions, without any light pollution. Although it is peaking on January 3-4, the Quadrantids, which are popular for their bright fireballs, are active from December 26 to January 16. Origin of the Quadrantids The Quadrantids have a pretty interesting origin as unlike other meteor showers which result from comets, this originates from the asteroid 2003 EH1. Astronomer and research scientist Peter Jenniskens is credited for realising that 2003 EH1 is the source for the Quadrantid meteors. This asteroid takes about 5.5 years to orbit the Sun once and it is possible that 2003 EH is a "dead comet" or a "rock comet", says NASA. Measuring about three kilometres across, the asteroid 2003 EH1 was discovered on March 6, 2003, by the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search (LONEOS). Meteors, as we know, are basically leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. When these objects come around the sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads into a dusty trail around their orbits and appears as streaks of light in the sky when Earth passes through this debris. Where will the meteor shower be visible? According to NASA, the Quadrantids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the night and predawn hours and their point of origin is an obsolete constellation called 'Quadrans Muralis'. This constellation is called obsolete because when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) created a list of recognised modern constellations in 1922, 'Quadrans Muralis' was left off the list. In order to spot the Quadrantids, make sure to find a dark spot free from light pollution. Image: Unsplash/Representative

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Quadrantids meteor shower, the best of the year, to peak on January 3 & 4 this year

The Quadrantids is considered to be one of the best annual meteor showers. According to NASA, one can see 60 to as many as 200 meteors per hour.

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