“Shooting stars” that spring from the brilliant Quadrantid meteor will kick off a new year of sky watching for Filipinos.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration,
the annual Quadrantid meteor shower will be active until Jan. 7, reaching its peak activity in the early hours of Jan. 4, when meteors or “falling stars” can be seen at the rate of at least 40 per hour.
The meteor shower will be best observed during the wee hours on these dates, PAGASA said.
The shower will appear to radiate from the constellation Bootes, which is below the Big Dipper constellation, in the northeast horizon.
PAGASA explained that the Quadrantid meteor shower hits the Earth’s atmosphere at the rate of about 40 kilometers per second.
The incinerated dust are said to be particles apparently derived from the debris ejected by the near-Earth asteroid 2003 EH, it added.
Likewise, this month, the conjunctions of Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury will be a good target for observations and astrophotography under a dark and cloudless sky condition. (Ellalyn V. Ruiz)
