Xinhua News Agency, Tianjin, January 2 (Reporter Zhou Runjian) As one of the three major meteor showers in the northern hemisphere, the Quadrantid meteor shower is the first important astronomical phenomenon in the beginning of 2023.

According to astronomy science experts, on January 4th, the Quadrantids meteor shower ushered in a climax. Fans who like meteor showers are expected to enjoy the shocking scene of bright fireballs piercing the night sky.

　　Quadrante is an ancient constellation name, which was created by the French astronomer Lalande in 1795.

In 1928, the International Astronomical Union canceled the 88 modern constellations and merged them into constellations such as Draco, Bootes, and Hercules, but the name Quadrante was preserved in another way, that is, the meteor shower .

The radiant point of the Quadrantid meteor shower is located in the area adjacent to the constellations Draco, Boötes, and Hercules, in the direction of the handle of the Big Dipper.

　　Yang Jing, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, said that the Quadrantid meteor shower has a medium speed and high brightness, and very bright fireballs will appear.

Fire meteors will emit brighter light, and the meteor trail is longer and longer than ordinary meteors, which is very ornamental.

Since the shower's radiant rises only in the latter part of the night, more meteors can be seen after midnight.

　　The active period of the Quadrantid meteor shower is from December 28th to January 12th of the next year, the peak is between January 3rd and 4th, and the hourly zenith rate (ZHR) can reach 110.

Unlike other meteor showers that have a long maximum duration, the peak duration of the Quadrantid meteor shower is very short, and the number of meteors will "cliff-like" drop after the maximum.

　　Astronomical forecasts show that the Quadrantid meteor shower in 2023 is expected to appear at 11:40 on January 4, Beijing time.

Since it is close to noon, the maximum time is not conducive to viewing. Fans who like meteor showers can try to observe it after midnight on January 3rd and before dawn on January 4th.

Although the waxing and gibbous moon at night will affect the observation, greatly reducing the number of meteors that can actually be seen, but fortunately, the bright fire meteors that may appear in the meteor shower are not afraid of the moonlight and will leave dazzling traces in the night sky.

　　Yang Jing reminded that because meteors can appear from any place in the sky, you should choose a place with a wide view and far away from urban light pollution for visual counting observations.

When observing, choose a direction facing away from the moon to avoid moonlight from entering the line of sight.

Friends who like to shoot meteor showers remember to set the exposure time of the camera to more than 5 seconds, and adjust the sensitivity for continuous shooting.

Due to the very low temperature at night, you should pay attention to keeping warm when watching and shooting meteor showers.

(Xinhuanet)