Tonight~Tomorrow Dawn, Meteor Showers Will Pour Down

One of the Three Major Meteor Showers, the Quadrantids Meteor Shower, Unfolds

▲From the night of December 13 to the early morning of the 14th, the meteor shower will pour down. [Photo by NASA]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Tonight, for the first time in the new year, a spectacular meteor shower can be seen in the night sky.

According to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, the Quadrantids meteor shower, one of the world's three major meteor showers, will pour down from the northeastern sky starting the night of the 3rd until the next day.

A meteor shower is a phenomenon where numerous shooting stars fall at once, as debris from comets or asteroid fragments are drawn by Earth's gravity and burn like sparks. The Quadrantids meteor shower appears when passing through the remnants of asteroid 2003EH1 and comet C/1490 Y1. In January, the Quadrantids, in August the Perseids, and in December the Geminids meteor showers can be observed.

On this night, the meteor shower can be observed from past midnight until dawn the next day, with the peak expected around 5:40 AM on the 4th. Up to about 120 meteors per hour can be seen. Since it is early morning and the moon will not be visible, observation is relatively easy. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, some clouds are expected nationwide from the night of the 3rd until the morning of the next day, but the metropolitan area and southern regions are forecast to be clear.

The meteor shower is best viewed with the naked eye in a dark area free from surrounding lights. Look toward the radiant point in the northeastern direction, following the handle of the Big Dipper in the northern sky. Experts advise that since the radiant point's altitude exceeds 50 degrees, it is best to lie down on a thick mat and look at the entire sky for optimal observation.

Meanwhile, the National Youth Space Center will hold an "Online Astronomy Observation" live broadcast of this meteor shower on its official YouTube channel from 10 PM on the 3rd until 6 AM on the 4th. This year, the Perseids meteor shower is scheduled for August 13, and the Geminids meteor shower for December 14.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.