2024 Quadrantid meteor shower to peak January 3-4
earthsky.org
earthsky.org
The Quadrantids are interesting because their source is not obvious, but the most likely one (as noted in the article) is an asteroid with a relatively unusual orbit that is likely an extinct comet.
Do you know where I can do further reading on why the planes of these meteors are different than the one on our universe?
As a kid, the notion of a night sky having any hue other than pitch black seemed unimaginable. But now I find myself residing in a city with severe light pollution, casting an orange glow across the sky. The radiance from street lamps significantly dulls the experience. Instead of watching a few meteors streak across the sky every minute, I now find myself waiting patiently for several minutes just to catch a glimpse of one!
I have written a little more about it here: <https://susam.net/maze/dark-night-skies.html>. Consider it a skygazer's lament.
It's worth it, I don't know how else to keep the wonder about the universe alive with my son
But California these days seems to bring yet another "record-breaking" wildfire season every year now that completely obscures the view during the Perseids. I suppose that's not as likely to be a worry for the Quadrantids, though.
A letdown, nonetheless.
> Some of the Northern Sky's former constellations were placed in the less populated regions between the traditional brighter constellations just to fill gaps. In the Southern Sky, new constellations were often created from about the 15th century [...] European countries [...] often supported and popularised their own constellation outlines. In some cases, different constellations occupied overlapping areas and included the same stars.