{"id":27224,"date":"2021-12-08T09:02:39","date_gmt":"2021-12-08T09:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=56807"},"modified":"2021-12-08T09:19:11","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T09:19:11","slug":"quadrantid-meteor-shower-2022-when-it-is-how-to-see-it","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/quadrantid-meteor-shower-2022-when-it-is-how-to-see-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Quadrantid meteor shower 2022: when it is, how to see it"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Pete Lawrence\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 08 December 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The Quadrantid meteor shower heralds the start of 2022\u2032 meteor activity.<\/p>\n

Despite the cold, if the sky is clear on the evening of 3 January, it is well worth putting in the effort as the Quadrantid meteor shower can deliver a fantastic display.<\/p>\n

For more info, read our meteor shower<\/a> guide.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Where will the Quadrantids be visible?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""A\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A chart showing the radiant of the Quadrantid meteor shower in 2022. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The region of the sky from which a meteor shower appears to emanate is known as the \u2018radiant\u2019.<\/p>\n

The Quadrantid meteor shower\u2019s radiant is located in a region of sky which used to be known as Quadrans Muralis (the Mural Quadrant), which is how the shower gets its name<\/p>\n

However, but Quadrans Muralis is no longer recognised as one of the 88 official constellations. It is now one of many other forgotten constellations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The radiant location is in the region bounded by Draco, Bo\u00f6tes and Hercules.<\/p>\n

The Plough asterism<\/a> is a handy tool for imaging where the radiant is during peak activity.<\/p>\n

Extend the line from Megrez (Delta (\u03b4) Ursae Majoris) through Mizar (Zeta (\u03be) Ursae Majoris) for 1.5x that distance again and you\u2019ll be in the general vicinity of the radiant.<\/p>\n

\""Use\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Use the Plough asterism to help you find the Quadrantid meteor shower radiant. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In case you struggle identifying Greek-lettered stars, the stars in the Plough are lettered in sequence starting at the west through to the east (at the end of the Plough\u2019s handle).<\/p>\n

As long as you know the first seven Greek letters, \u03b1 (alpha), \u03b2 (beta), \u03b3 (gamma), \u03b4 (delta), \u03b5 (epsilon), \u03be (zeta) and \u03b7 (eta), you should be able to locate the stars we mentioned quite easily.<\/p>\n

When to see the Quadrantid meteor shower<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""The\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A Quadrantid meteor. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

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The Quadrantids are expected to reach peak activity around 20:40 UT on 3 January.<\/p>\n

This represents the period when Earth will be passing through the densest part of the Quadrantid stream (for more on this, read our guide on what causes a meteor shower<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the radiant will only be around 8\u02da up at this time.<\/p>\n

A usual Quadrantid shower shows heightened activity for a few hours either side of the peak.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rates will begin to drop off as we <\/span>head into the morning of 4 January, but the increasing altitude of the radiant should help to compensate to a degree, keeping things interesting through to dawn.<\/p>\n

\""\u00de\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A Quadrantid meteor train distorting under the influence of high-altitude winds. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Where will the Moon be?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Paying attention to what the phase and location of the Moon will be is vital when planning to observe a meteor shower.<\/p>\n

A bright, full Moon<\/a> in the sky during peak activity can drown out meteors, making some showers a wash-out.<\/p>\n

The Moon will be new on the evening of 2 January, which means that on the night of the Quadrantid peak it will not interfere.<\/span><\/p>\n

For weekly Moon phases, dates and times delivered directly to your email inbox, sign up to receive the BBC Sky at Night Magazine e-newsletter<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

How to see a Quadrantid meteor<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Watching\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Watching a meteor shower doesn\u2019t require any fancy equipment: just clear, dark skies, warm clothing and some good company. Credit: Anthony Sabatino \/ EyeEm \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Meteor observing doesn\u2019t require any telescopes or fancy equipment. All you need is your naked eye and, preferably, some good company.<\/p>\n

You will need to find a dark unobstructed observing site and plan to observe in periods no shorter than 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

A garden recliner makes a great observing platform, but don\u2019t forget to wrap up warm!<\/p>\n

It may take about 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the darkness, but\u00a0 after a while you should start to see more stars and, hopefully, some meteors shooting across the sky.<\/p>\n

Avoid using lights such as torches and mobile phones as this will spoil your adapted night vision. If you really need to, use a red torch or turn your phone\u2019s screen red<\/a> in the settings.<\/p>\n

\""A\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A Quadrantid meteor appears in the night sky along with the Milky Way and the Aurora over Banff National Park, Canada, 3 January 2009. Credit: Stocktrek Images \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Use a star chart or stargazing app<\/a> to find Draco, Bo\u00f6tes, Ursa Major and Hercules.<\/p>\n

Look around this region of the sky and, if you happen to see a meteor shooting away from it during the shower\u2019s activity period, chances are you\u2019ve just seen a Quadrantid.<\/p>\n

How many Quadrantid meteors will I be able to see?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Quadrantid meteor shower is a high-rate shower with a typical peak ZHR (zenithal hourly rate) of 120 meteors per hour, which has been known to vary between 60\u2013200 meteors per hour.<\/p>\n

However, note that the ZHR figure is a normalised value of what you could expect to see under perfect conditions.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s used to allow comparison between meteor showers and doesn\u2019t represent what you\u2019ll actually see.<\/p>\n

The visual hourly rate is often significantly lower than the quoted ZHR and varies <\/span>over the course of a night.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This guide originally appeared in the January 2022 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine.<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

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