[Explanation] On January 3, a reporter from the China News Service learned from the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that the quadrant meteor shower is coming, and hundreds of meteors "bloom" to bring the sky "fireworks" to the public.
[Explanation] The Quadrantid Meteor Shower is one of the three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere every year. The maximum period usually occurs on January 3 or 4.
It is worth mentioning that this year's quadrant meteor shower will usher in a "sweet crit".
[Concurrent] Wang Kechao, Director of Science Popularization, Nanjing Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences
There are three large meteor showers in the northern hemisphere every year, namely the Quadrantid meteor shower in January, the Perseid meteor shower in August and the Geminid meteor shower in December.
Among them, the quadrant meteor shower has a medium speed, and fire meteors often appear.
According to the forecast of the International Meteor Organization, the maximum period of this quadrant meteor shower is around 12:00 on January 4, and the maximum flow rate is about 110 per hour.
[Explanation] According to astronomical calculations, the maximum duration of the meteor shower this year is not long.
In China, the waxing gibbous moon will have a certain impact on observations. It is recommended that astronomy enthusiasts can choose to observe after the radiant point rises in the middle of the night.
[Concurrent] Wang Kechao, Director of Science Popularization, Nanjing Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences
The observation conditions of this meteor shower are not very good, and the rising time of the meteor shower radiant point is in the second half of the night, so everyone must pay attention to safety and keep warm when observing.
When observing, you can choose an open area with less light pollution and no shelter around.
[Explanation] With the coming of the Lunar New Year, Tianyu also brought wonderful "New Year gifts".
On January 23, the second day of the first lunar month, Venus and Saturn will have an extremely close conjunction, and the distance between the two is only 20° at the closest.
According to experts, it is not common for Venus and Saturn to merge at such a close distance. It will only happen once every one to two years, and the next time will appear on March 21, 2024.
Reporter Ge Yong reports from Nanjing, Jiangsu
Editor in charge: [Ji Xiang]