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January kicks off with one of the fastest and most powerful meteor showers of the year, the Quadriids.
The peak of the showers is expected to occur on the night of January 3rd and 4th, according to the forecast. American Meteor Society. Sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere will have the best chance of seeing the showers between late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.
Meteors are the particle remnants of broken asteroids and comets, which spread out in dusty trails as they orbit the sun. Each year, the Earth passes through a debris path, creating fiery, colorful spectacles called meteor showers as dust and rock fragments disintegrate in Earth’s atmosphere.
The Cybungid meteor shower is known to be difficult to observe due to its short peak time of 6 hours. According to him, the peak duration of the meteor shower is limited, compared to the two days it takes. This is because this meteor shower has only a thin stream of particles, and Earth quickly passes vertically through the densest part of those particles. NASA.
The peak rain forecast range is 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. UTC), but the meteors will be visible for several hours in advance.of Recommended by the American Meteor Society People across North America should keep an eye out for meteors from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. local time.
Early times are more advantageous for observers along the east coast of North America, and later times are more advantageous for observers in Hawaii and Alaska. The Quadriids meteor shower is usually not visible in the Southern Hemisphere. This is because the shower’s radiant point does not rise very high in the sky before dawn.
check time and date site Find out how likely you are to watch the event.
At its peak, more than 100 meteors per hour can be visible. You may also catch a glimpse of fireballs during a meteor shower, which are bright bursts of light and color associated with large particles that linger longer than typical meteor streaks, according to NASA.
Xue Bing/Cost Photo/Future Publishing/Getty Images
The Siberid meteor shower will be visible in the night sky over Korla city, Bingoling-Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, China, on January 4, 2022.
Look at the sky from north to northeast. The American Meteor Society advises standing or sitting with your back to the moon and looking at the sky for at least an hour after 2 a.m. local time.
Visibility is subject to poor winter weather in the northern hemisphere. The association also recommends using trees and buildings to block the moon, which can affect the visibility of showers since it will be about 51% full.
If you live in a city, you may want to drive to a place that doesn’t have a lot of city lights. If you can find an area unaffected by light pollution, you may be able to see meteors every few minutes from dusk until dawn.
Find an open area with a wide view of the sky. Get a chair or blanket so you can look straight up. You’ll also find it easier to spot meteors if you don’t look at your phone and allow your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness.
If the name of a meteor shower sounds strange, it’s probably because it doesn’t sound like it’s related to a constellation. That’s because the constellation of the same name as the Oberid meteor shower no longer exists, at least as a recognized constellation.
The constellation Corrugae, which was first observed in 1795 between the constellations Bootes and Draco, is not included in the International Astronomical Union’s list of modern constellations. This is because this constellation is considered obsolete and is no longer used as a landmark for celestial navigation. earth sky.
Like the Geminid meteor shower, the Geminids result from mysterious asteroids or “rocky comets” rather than icy comets, which is unusual. This particular asteroid is 2003 EH1, which takes 5.52 years to complete one orbit around the sun and is 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) in diameter.
However, astronomers believe a second object, Comet 96P/Machholtz, may be contributing to the shower, according to EarthSky. Comets orbit the sun every 5.3 years.
Scientists believe that a larger comet became gravitationally bound to a short orbit around the Sun around 2000 BC. This comet left behind meteors for many years until it broke up sometime between 100 and 950 CE. As a result, the comet left behind a number of descendants, collectively known as the Machholtz Complex, which includes Comet Machholtz, which is the parent object of the Quadriids, and asteroids. In addition to his EH1 in 2003, two different comet showers and eight meteor showers were observed, according to EarthSky.
After the Quadriids, there will be a slight lull in meteor shower activity, and the next meteor shower will not occur until April.
Lyrids: April 21-22
Aquarius Eta: May 4th-5th
Southern Aquarius Delta: July 29th-30th
Alpha Capricorn: July 30th to 31st
Perseids: August 11-12
Draconid meteor shower: October 7th to 8th
Orionid meteor shower: October 20th-21st
Southern Taurus: November 4-5
Northern Taurus: November 11-12
Leonid meteor shower: November 17th to 18th
Geminid meteor shower: December 13th-14th
Urus: December 21st-22nd
full moon and supermoon
According to , there will be 12 full moons in 2024, and the lunar events in September and October will also be considered supermoons. earth sky.
Definitions of a supermoon vary, but the term generally refers to a full moon that is closer to Earth than normal and therefore appears larger and brighter in the night sky. Some astronomers claim that this phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 90% of its perigee, the point of closest approach to Earth in its orbit.
According to , each month’s full moon is associated with a specific name. farmers yearbook. However, the full moon has many different names and meanings. various indigenous tribes.
The full moons for 2024 are:
January 25th: Wolf Moon
February 24th: Snow Moon
March 25th: Worm Moon
April 23rd: Pink Moon
May 23rd: Flower Moon
June 21st: Strawberry Moon
July 21st: Back Moon
August 19: Sturgeon Moon
September 17th: Harvest Moon
October 17: Hunter’s Moon
November 15th: Beaver Moon
December 15th: Cold Moon
solar and lunar eclipses
According to , there will be multiple solar eclipses in 2024, including two types of lunar eclipses and two types of solar eclipses. old farmer yearbook.
The most anticipated of these events are: Total solar eclipse on April 8th, people from Mexico, the United States, and Canada can also watch. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun’s face.
A total solar eclipse will be visible to anyone who is within the path of the solar eclipse, or where the moon’s shadow completely covers the sun. Even people outside the total path can see a partial solar eclipse, where the moon obscures only part of the sun’s face.
A total solar eclipse will not be visible again across the continental United States until August 2044.
An annular solar eclipse will occur in the skies of parts of South America on October 2nd. This type of solar eclipse is similar to a total solar eclipse, but because the moon is at the furthest point from Earth in its orbit, it cannot completely block the sun. Instead, in an annular solar eclipse, the sun’s fiery light surrounds the moon’s shadow, forming a “ring of fire” in the sky.
Meanwhile, the penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible to many people in Europe, North Asia, East Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, and South America from March 24th to 25th.
A lunar eclipse, in which the moon appears dark or dim, occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned and the moon is in Earth’s shadow. A penumbral lunar eclipse is more subtle and occurs when the moon passes through Earth’s outer shadow, or penumbra.
A partial lunar eclipse, in which 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 from September 17th to 18th.
check Date and time website Find out when each of these eclipses will appear.