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Picture Courtesy:INDIAN EXPRESS
The world witnessed the Quadrantid meteor shower, the first meteor shower of 2025.
It is an annual celestial event that occurs in early January.
It is one of the most intense meteor showers, with a brief but spectacular peak lasting only a few hours.
Observers can see 60 to 120 meteors per hour during its peak.
This year, the best visibility was seen in the western regions of North America during the pre-dawn hours on January 4.
Other locations, such as Canada, Northern Europe, Russia, China, Japan, and Korea, may also witness the shower. However, visibility in these regions may vary.
The name Quadrantids comes from the obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis, named in 1795 by French astronomer JJ Lalande. Although the constellation no longer exists in modern star maps, the name remains associated with this meteor shower.
Belgian astronomer Adolphe Quetelet first observed the Quadrantid Meteor Shower in the 1830s.
The Quadrantids originate from the northeast corner of the Boötes constellation. They are believed to have emerged from asteroid 2003 EH1, a fragment of an extinct comet that broke apart in 1490-91.
A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. It is smaller than an asteroid and ranges in size from tiny grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than meteoroids are classified as micrometeoroids or space dust.
Many meteoroids are fragments of comets or asteroids. Others are collision debris ejected from celestial bodies like the Moon or Mars.
A meteor is the visible passage of a meteoroid, comet, or asteroid as it enters Earth's atmosphere.
A meteor shower is a series of meteors that appear seconds or minutes apart, originating from the same fixed point in the sky.
Approximately 25 million meteoroids, micrometeoroids, and other space debris enter Earth’s atmosphere each day.
A meteorite is the remains of a meteoroid that survives the burning of its surface material during its passage through the atmosphere and impacts the ground.
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q.Consider the following statements: 1. Quadrantid Meteor Shower originates from the constellation Ursa Major. 2. A meteoroid is smaller than an asteroid. 3. The Quadrantid Meteor Shower in 2025 was most visible in Africa. How many of the above statements are incorrect? A) Only one B) Only two C) All three D) None Answer: B Explanation: Statement 1 is incorrect: The Quadrantids originated from the asteroid 2003 EH1. The Quadrantids are named after the obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis, which was situated between Bootes and Draco. The International Astronomical Union no longer recognises this constellation. Statement 2 is correct: A meteoroid is a small piece of rocky or metallic material that travels through space, they are normally smaller than an asteroid. They can range in size from pebbles to boulders, weighing several tons. Meteorites are created when a meteor enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up, creating a shooting star. Statement 3 is incorrect: The Quadrantid meteor shower is an annual event that occurs in early January. It's one of the most intense meteor showers of the year, with a brief peak lasting only a few hours. The shower is most visible in the northern hemisphere. |
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