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January begins with the Quadrantids, one of the fastest meteor showers yet of the year.
The shower is expected to peak overnight between January 3 and 4, according to the American Meteor Society. Sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere can best see the shower between the late night hours of Wednesday and dawn on Thursday.
Meteors are pieces left over from broken asteroids and comet particles that spread out in the dusty tracks of the sun’s orbit. Every year, the Earth passes through the debris trails, and pieces of dust and rock create colorful, fiery displays called meteor showers as they dissolve in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Quadrantid shower is difficult to see because of its short six-hour peak. The peak is of limited duration compared to most meteor showers, which peak over two days, because the shower contains only a thin stream of particles and the Earth passes through the densest concentration of these particles rapidly at an angle vertical, according to NASA.
Forecasts for the shower’s peak range from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time), but meteors will be visible hours before. The American Meteor Society recommends keeping an eye out for meteors from 1 am to 5 am local for those across North America.
The earlier time favors those on the East Coast of North America while the later time is more favorable for observers in Hawaii and Alaska. The Quadrantids are not usually visible in the Southern Hemisphere because the radiant point of the shower does not rise as high in the sky before dawn.
Check the Time and Date site to find out what your chances of seeing the event are.
What you will see
The peak may include more than 100 visible meteors per hour. Some fireballs can even be seen during the meteor shower, which are bright blasts of light and color associated with larger particles that linger longer than normal meteor streams, according to NASA.
Keep an eye on the north-northeast sky. Stand or sit with the moon at your back from 2 a.m. local time and watch the skies for at least an hour, suggests the American Meteor Society.
Visibility will depend on any severe winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere. And the moon will be about 51% full, which could affect the visibility of the shower, but society recommends trying to block the moon with a tree or building.
If you live in an urban area, you may want to drive to a place that is not full of bright city lights. If you can find an area unaffected by light pollution, meteors may be visible every few minutes from late afternoon to dawn.
Find an open area with a wide view of the sky. Make sure you have a chair or blanket so you can look straight up. And give your eyes about 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the dark – without looking at your phone – so it will be easier to see the meteors.
An unusual origin
If the name meteor shower sounds strange, it’s probably because it doesn’t seem to be associated with a constellation. That’s because a constellation called the Quadrantids no longer exists — at least, not as a known constellation.
The constellation Quadrans Muralis, first observed and noted in 1795 between Boötes and Draco, is no longer included in the International Astronomical Union’s list of modern constellations because it is considered extinct and no longer it is no longer used as a landmark for celestial navigation, according to EarthSky.
Like the Geminid Meteor shower, the Quadrantids come from a mysterious asteroid or “rock comet,” rather than an icy comet, which is unusual. This particular asteroid is 2003 EH1, which takes 5.52 years to complete one orbit around the sun and measures 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) across.
But astronomers believe a second object, Comet 96P/Machholz, could be contributing to the shower, according to EarthSky. The comet orbits the sun every 5.3 years.
Scientists think that a larger comet was gravitationally bound into a short orbit around the sun around 2000 BC. The comet left behind meteors for years before disintegrating sometime between the years 100 and 950. As a result, the comet left behind many celestial passages known collectively as the Machholz Complex, which includes the Quadrantid meteor shower’s parent bodies Comet 96P/Machholz and asteroid 2003 EH1 as well as two different comet groups and eight meteor showers, according to EarthSky.
Meteor showers of 2024
After the Quadrantids, there is a bit of a lull in meteor shower activity, and the next one won’t happen until April.
Lyrids: 21-22 April
Eta Aquariids: 4-5 May
Southern delta Aquariids: July 29-30
Alpha Capricornids: July 30-31
Perseids: August 11-12
Draconids: 7-8 October
Orionids: October 20-21
Southern Taurids: November 4-5
Northern Taurids: November 11-12
Leonids: November 17-18
Geminids: December 13-14
Ursids: 21-22 December
Full moons and supermoons
Twelve full moons will occur during 2024, and the September and October lunar events will also be considered supermoons, according to EarthSky.
Definitions of a supermoon can vary, but the term usually refers to a full moon that is closer to Earth than usual and appears larger and brighter in the night sky. Some astronomers say the phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 90% of perigee — the closest approach to Earth’s orbit.
Each month’s full moon is associated with a specific name, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. But the full moons have a variety of names and meanings, according to different indigenous tribes.
Here are the full moons of 2024:
January 25: wolf moon
February 24: Snow moon
March 25: Moon of worms
April 23: Pink moon
May 23: Flower moon
June 21: Strawberry Moon
July 21: Buck moon
August 19: Sturgeon moon
September 17: Autumn moon
October 17: Hunter’s moon
November 15: Beaver Moon
December 15: Cold moon
Solar and lunar eclipses
Multiple eclipses will occur in 2024, including two types of lunar eclipses and two types of solar eclipses, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The most anticipated of these events is the total solar eclipse that occurred on April 8, which will be visible to those in Mexico, the United States and Canada. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, completely blocking the face of the sun.
Those within the path of totality, or locations where the moon’s shadow will completely cover the sun, will see a total solar eclipse. People outside the path of totality will still be able to see a partial solar eclipse, where the moon only covers part of the sun’s face.
A total solar eclipse will not be visible across the contiguous US again until August 2044.
An annular solar eclipse will occur in the sky on October 2 over parts of South America. This type of eclipse is similar to a total solar eclipse, except that the moon is at its furthest point in its orbit from Earth, so it cannot completely block the sun. Instead, total solar eclipses create a “ring of fire” in the sky and the sun’s blazing light surrounds the moon’s shadow.
Meanwhile, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible to many across Europe, North and East Asia, Australia, Africa, North and South America between March 24-25.
A lunar eclipse, which causes the moon to appear dark or dim, occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align so that the moon enters the Earth’s shadow. A penumbral lunar eclipse is subtler and occurs when the moon moves through the Earth’s outer shadow, or penumbra.
A partial lunar eclipse, when the Earth moves between the sun and the full moon without being perfectly aligned, will be visible across Europe and much of Asia, Africa, North America and South America between 17-18 September.
Check the Time and Date website to find out when each of these eclipses will be visible.
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