VietNamNet Bridge - Quadrantids - one of the largest meteor showers in 2014 will reach its maximum at dawn on January 4, with up to 50 tracks per hour.

The Quadrantids is the first major meteor shower of the year. It is usually active between the end of December and the second week of January, and peaks around January 2 or January 3. However, unlike other meteor showers that tend to stay at their peak for about two days, the peak period of the Quadrantis is only for a few hours.

In 2014, the Quadrantids will peak on January 3. A new Moon on January 1, 2014 will create ideal viewing conditions for those in the Northern Hemisphere. According to astronomers, those in the eastern part of Asia will be the best situated to view the shower.

In Vietnam, the best time for observation is from midnight to dawn on 4/1.

The shower owes its name to the now defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis. The constellation was left off a list of constellations drawn out by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1922, but because the shower had already been named after Quadrans Muralis, its name was not changed. The Quadrantids is also sometimes called Bootids after the modern constellation, Boötes.

The Quadrantids are associated with an asteroid - the 2003 EH1. The asteroid takes about 5.5 years to orbit around the Sun.

This year, the moon will set early and will absolutely not affect the observation. However, according to Mr. Dang Tuan Duy, from the HCM City Amateur Astronomers’ Club, the observations in Vietnam will be a little difficult because at the climax, the epicenter of the meteor shower will not be high enough compared to the horizon. Besides, the culmination of this meteor shower will occur in just a few hours, so viewers need to take time to contemplate it.

2013 Quadrantids meteor shower in the US (source: Space)

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