Quadrantid Meteor Shower

Why in News?

The world is all set to witness the 1^st Quadrantid meteor shower of the year 2025.

• Name Quadrantids – It comes from the obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis, which was named in 1975 by French astronomer JJ Lalande.
• Origin – It possibly emerged from asteroid 2003 EH1.

Quadrans Muralis is located between the constellations of Bootes and Draco (near the end of the handle of the "Big Dipper").

Asteroid 2003 EH1 is believed to be a fragment of an extinct comet that broke down in 1490-91, which takes 5.52 years to orbit the Sun once.

• Observation – It was 1^st seen in 1825 by Belgian astronomer Adolphe Quetelet.
• Fireball meteors – These meteors usually lack persistent trains but often produce bright fireballs.
• They are known for their larger explosions of light and color with magnitudes brighter than -3.
• It persists longer than an average meteor streak due to the fireballs which originate from larger particles of material.
• Speed – They enter the Earth's atmosphere at high speed, typically around 40km per second.
• Visibility - In its peak activity, observers can spot 60 to 120 meteors per hour and the visibility depends mainly on location and timing.

Quadrantid Meteor Shower in 2025 favour the western regions of North America during pre-dawn hours. They are likely to shine bright as Earth’s forward-facing side hits them at high speed.

References

1. The Indian Express| 1^st Quadrantid Meteor Shower of 2025
2. NASA| Quadrantids Meteor Shower

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