William Atkins
Tuesday, 30 December 2008 20:43
Science -
Space
Page 2 of 3
The parent-body of the Quadrantids, possibly 2003 EH1, is thought to be a huge chunk that broke off of a comet some time within the last one thousand years.
However, other astronomers think that the comet, which originated the Quadrantids, is actually comet C1490 Y1, which was first discovered in southeastern Asia during the end of 1490 and the beginning of 1491.
In actuality, astronomers are looking into the possibility that C1490 Y1 and 2003 EH1 are related in their origins.
The Quadrantids generally begin on December 28, 2008 and end on January 7, 2009, with maximum sightings generally occurring during the morning hours of Saturday, January 3.
The rate of meteors shooting across the early morning (pre-dawn) sky on January 3rd could be at times as low as 10 per hour or could be high as about 200.
On an average year, the Quadrantid meteor shower produces over 100 per hour at its peak.
This year, astronomers are generally predicting about ten to 120 meteors per hour at its peak.
Page three contains a sky map for the Quadrantids display, along with additional information.
