This year’s first supermoon competes with meteor shower for dominance

KANIKA SINGH RATHORE,

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January skies will welcome the year’s first supermoon and meteor shower, although the brightness of one may overshadow the other.

The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks Friday night into Saturday morning, according to the American Meteor Society.

While dark skies typically produce about 25 meteors per hour, observers may see fewer than 10 this time due to the illumination of Saturday’s supermoon.

“The biggest enemy of meteor shower viewing is the full moon,” said Mike Shanahan, director of the Liberty Science Center Planetarium. new jersey.

Meteor showers occur when fast space rocks collide EarthThe atmosphere burns up and leaves a trail of fire in its wake – the end of the “shooting star”. A small number of meteors can be seen on any given night, but predictable meteor showers occur every year Earth Through dense streams of cosmic debris.

A supermoon occurs when the full moon is closer to Earth in its orbit. According to reports, this makes it appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than the darkest moon of the year. NASA. The difference is difficult to notice with the naked eye.

This 1825 etching available from the Library of Congress shows an astronomical diagram depicting the farmer Bootes holding a spear and scythe, two dogs on leashes (Asterion and Chara), and the quadrants and Berenice's hair forming the constellations. (Sydney Hall/Library of Congress via AP)

This 1825 etching available from the Library of Congress shows an astronomical diagram depicting the farmer Bootes holding a spear and scythe, two dogs on leashes (Asterion and Chara), and the quadrants and Berenice’s hair forming the constellations. (Sydney Hall/Library of Congress via AP)

Like all full moons, the supermoon is visible in clear evening skies. The Quadrantid meteor shower, on the other hand, is primarily visible from the Northern Hemisphere. No special equipment is required to see both.

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To spot the Quadrantid meteor shower, stay away from city lights in the evening and watch for the fireball before the moon spoils the party, said Jacques Benitez of the California Academy of Sciences’ Morrison Planetarium. Skygazers can also try watching at dawn on Sunday.

Wait for your eyes to adjust to the dark without looking at your phone. Space rocks look like fast-moving white dots that appear across the sky.

Meteor showers are named after the constellations from which the fireballs appear to come. The Quadrantid meteor shower—space debris from asteroid 2003 EH1—is named after a constellation that is no longer recognized.

The next major meteor shower, called the Lyrids, is expected to occur in April.

Supermoons occur several times a year and occur in clusters, taking advantage of the best spots in the moon’s elliptical orbit. Saturday night’s event ended a four-month run that began in October. There won’t be another supermoon until late 2026.

Uk