The Quadrantid meteor shower, one of the three major meteor showers of the year, will appear at its maximum at around 4:40 am on January 4th, Taiwan time. The average number of zenith meteors per hour (ZHR value) can reach 120. However, according to the International Meteor Organization (IMO), the ZHR value may also reach 200 due to the variable and coincide with the first day of the new year. The observation conditions are excellent and it is an astronomical phenomenon that must not be missed this year.
The Nanying Planetarium stated that the occurrence of meteor showers is usually closely related to comets. However, according to the study of meteor swarm experts, the orbit of the asteroid 2003 EH1 is very similar to the orbit of the quadrant meteoroid. It is suspected that it may be a quadrant meteor shower. origin of. However, the orbit of 2003 EH1 is very similar to the short-period comet Comet Machholz 1 (96P/Machholz). Therefore, some astronomers believe that the asteroid 2003 EH1 is likely to be the remnant of the nucleus of Comet Machholz 1 after splitting. Fragments.
In order to meet the expectations of the majority of astronomy fans, Nanying Planetarium will host an online live observation event of the Quadrantid Meteor Shower from 10:00 p.m. on January 3 (Monday) to 5:00 a.m. on January 4 (Tuesday). The live program includes: The observation and history of the quadrant meteor shower, the relationship between the comet and the meteor shower, the sharing of deep sky celestial body photography, and the pre-report of important astronomical phenomena in 2022, bring full astronomy knowledge to astronomy fans.
Nanying Planetarium said that the way to watch the meteor shower is very simple. Just find an empty place with less light pollution. If you can lie flat on the ground and let your eyes look at the zenith, you don’t need the assistance of a telescope at all. The opportunity to see the meteors that fly across the sky and say hello to you.
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