A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky. (Photo : Facebook)
The very first meteor shower of 2016 is expected to happen in the wee hours of Jan 4, Monday morning. Those who want to witness the event can see it online.
Also known as the Quadrantids, the shower could be quite astonishing though it is not very popular. The Quadrantid shower is said to yield a maximum of 120 meteors per hour during its peak, NASA reported. Sadly, the peak can last for two hours, only.
The exact time that Quadrantid meteors can be seen across the sky was not revealed. So for those who want to see it, people located on the West Coast should plan to look up after midnight of Sunday until dawn of Monday morning. If this may seem a bit tedious, an online option is available.
The meteor shower can be seen via Slooh.com. This astronomy site is planning to provide people with a live stream of the shower from its network of telescopes, which are stationed around the world starting at 4 p.m Sunday. This live broadcast will continue throughout the entire night.
Majority of the meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through a ring of dust and debris shed by a comet as it orbits the sun. However, in the case of Quadrantids, 2003 EH1 asteroid is the source body.
For those who want to watch the shower in real life, it is recommended that they look for the darkest sky around. Allow 20 minutes so the human eyes can adjust to the dark and as much as possible, avoid glancing at other objects as it will only affect a person's night vision.
