A stunning celestial event will welcome the New Year 2025, as the Quadrantids, visible since December 27, will peak on January 3 and 4.
Considered one of the best meteor showers held annually, Quadrantids are famous for its brief period but intense peak and frequent bright fireballs. While most meteor showers originate from comets, this one comes from the 2003 EH1 asteroid, which could be a "dead comet" or a "rock comet," according to NASA.
A meteor occurs whenever the planet passes through the debris which has been left by a comet or asteroid.
Quadrantid Meteor Shower: What is it?
The Quadrantids peak during early January every year for a few hours only, unlike most of the meteor showers that have a two-day peak.
"The reason the peak is so short is due to the shower's thin stream of particles and the fact that the Earth crosses the stream at a perpendicular angle," NASA said, adding that during its peak time, anywhere between 60-200 Quadrantid meteors are visible per hour under perfect conditions.
Quadrantids have been named after the now-obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis -- introduced in 1795 by French astronomer Jerome Lalande. However, the constellation has now been omitted from the International Astronomical Union's list of recognised constellations.
When and where to watch in India?
The Quadrantids, which are currently active, will continue till January 16, 2025. However, its peak time will be on the night between January 2 and 3, 2025 (January 3 and 4 in India).
Sumit Srivastava, senior scientific officer at Lucknow-based Indira Gandhi planetarium, said the ‘Quadrantids' will be visible in the city on January 3 and 4. During this time, between 80-120 meteors could be spotted per hour.
Since it will be visible during the early morning hours in the city, the planetarium has decided to set up telescopes for public viewing of the astronomical event.
Quadrantids, best spotted in the Northern Hemisphere, are active until Thursday (January 16).
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