Original image, Cheng Luo/NASA
If you are a person who likes to watch interesting things in space, then you will definitely want to read this story.
The first comet viewing period of 2025, called the Quadrantids, will peak on the 3rd and 4th of January and will be visible to the naked eye. It started on the 28th of December and will continue until the 12th of January.
According to the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), the meteor shower is expected to be “the biggest this year”.
On the days when they will be most visible, and at the time when they will flow into the sky, about 120 comets can be seen every hour, and they will enter the sky at a speed of 40 km in each one second, according to the US space agency, NASA.
However, it is not always necessary to get that much because of its short visibility period of 6 hours and the bad weather that is experienced in the beginning of January, said IMO.
The period of multiple comets, called ‘Quadrantids’ in English, gets its name from Quadrans Muralis, a group of stars seen in the late 18th century.
They are believed to have been first seen in 1825 by an Italian astronomer, Antonio Brucalassi, who spotted comets shining from this part of the sky.
Quadrantid is one of the comets that are formed from asteroids (which are dust) while others are formed from comets (which are ice and dust).
How to see the water of comets
This kind of situation is best seen in the northern part of the world, the part of the sky where the comets are thought to come from, if it is very high above the line where the earth and the sky are seen to meet.
Unfortunately, says the IMO, “only a fraction of this is visible from the southern hemisphere”, because the light is either too low or not visible at all due to the short nights. in hot weather.
Some of the comets are visible from the city center, but the one that will be more beautiful is the one that is far away from the light coming from the cities.
“The darker the sky, the more likely you are to see stars that aren’t very bright,” said Dr. Ashley King, an astrophysicist and meteorologist at the a historic museum in London.
A full moon can brighten the sky, making it more difficult to see comets, so your best chance is when they are best seen at the beginning of a lunar eclipse.
On the days when they are most visible, the moon will set in the early evening, which will reduce the possibility of too much light to delay the viewing of comets.
There is no need to use a special device to watch them, but patience is also important.
So, look for a dark place away from the light of the city, lie down on the ground so that your feet face the northwest, and give your eyes 15 to 20 minutes to get used to the dark.
”You don’t necessarily see anything in the first ten minutes,” said Dr. King.
“But when your eyes get used to the darkness, you will start to see them little by little. therefore, don’t be discouraged too soon.”
What causes the outflow of comets?
Original image, Getty Images
Although they are called “comets”, they are not stars at all. Some are small remnants of things from planets that burn when they pass by our planet.
“As they come from space to Earth, these dust particles mix with other molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. They absorb heat when they come together, which creates a beautiful glow that we see,” according to Dr. King.
Comets are formed when Earth passes through small space rocks called meteoroids.
The best time to see the comets is when the Earth enters the part of the comet that is crowded with rocks that make them visible in large numbers.
Don’t worry if you don’t get to see the Quadrantids, there will be some comets this year – although none will be this big – and they will be most visible in the southern hemisphere.
