MAXICO: Stargazers can start the New Year off with a bang this weekend as the first meteor shower of 2015 reaches its peak in the night.
Quadrantid meteor got its name from a constellation named Quadrans Muralis, the Wall Quadrant, which was incorporated into the constellation Bootes in 1922.
While the Quadrantid meteor shower can produce as many bright meteors during its peak as the more famous Perseids, the shower’s actual peak time is much narrower, making the chances of seeing a Quadrantid much less than those of seeing a Perseid.
The 2015 Quadrantid meteor shower peaked on the night of Jan. 3 at 9 p.m. EST (0200 GMT), during which the radiant was close to the northern horizon and stargazers managed to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower coming in close to the horizon to the east and west.
Experts are of the opinion that the Quadrantid is the result of a wiped out comet known as 2003 Eh1. Watchers will actually perceive dust grains produced by the comet’s extinction. In order to get the best viewing, observes should be in a dim area after midnight. Though the meteors will shine from the star group Boötes, they will also be visible from any point in the sky.
