VIDEO: Earth To Pass Through Comet Debris Stream On January 3, Will Produce Quadrantids Meteors Shower
By Space Coast Daily // January 2, 2017
2017’s first major meteor shower
ABOVE VIDEO: Earth will pass through a stream of debris from comet 2003 EH1 on January 3, 2017, producing a shower of meteors known as the Quadrantids.
(Earthsky.org) – Plan now to watch 2017 Quadrantid meteor shower between midnight and dawn on the mornings of January 3 or 4.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is 2017’s first major meteor shower. The good news is that, in 2017, a fat waxing crescent moon won’t interfere with the shower.
Now the not-so-good news. Although the Quadrantids have been known to produce some 50-100 meteors in a dark sky, their peak is extremely narrow.
Peaks of the Perseid or Geminid meteor showers persist for a day or more, allowing all time zones around the world to enjoy a good display of Perseids and Geminids.
But the Quadrantids’ peak lasts only a few hours. So you have to be on the right part of Earth – preferably with the radiant high in your sky – in order to experience the peak of the Quadrantids.
What’s more, the shower favors the Northern Hemisphere because its radiant point is so far north on the sky’s dome. Follow the links below to learn more about the Quadrantids in 2017.
• Peak dates for the Quadrantid shower in 2017
• Where is the Quadrantids’ radiant point?
• The Quadrantids are named for a constellation that no longer exists.
• Quadrantid meteors have a mysterious parent object.
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