The shooting stars will beautify the start of the new year in January 2021.
We'll tell you when and how to best observe the Quadrantids.
The Quadrantids can be seen in the night sky from December to January.
They appear in the Bear Keeper constellation.
Most shooting stars can be seen on January 3rd and 4th, 2021.
Munich - If you couldn't really enjoy the fireworks on New Year's Eve, you have the opportunity to watch a similar spectacle in the night sky a few days later.
As every year, the
Quadrantids
return
to the night sky
in the
first week of January
.
Directly after the Ursid shower in December, the
meteor shower of
the Quadrantids
follows
from the end of December to the beginning of January.
However, the shooting stars are not always easy to see.
The best chance of catching a trail of light is between
Sunday January 3, 2021
and
Monday January 4, 2021
.
Under ideal conditions, up to 120 meteors per hour can then be seen.
But also in the surrounding nights it is worth taking a look at the night sky.
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2021 begins with a shooting star spectacle: The Quadrantids.
© Cavan Images / imago images
What is the best way to watch the shooting stars?
Inhabitants of the
northern hemisphere
are lucky: The quadrantids can only be seen there.
The further north you are in the northern hemisphere, the better.
In order to be able to observe as many
falling
stars as possible,
a place without artificial light sources is
ideal.
Large cities should be avoided as the light there can cloud the night sky.
A warm blanket, a clear view upwards and a little patience also help with the perfect night.
The Quadrantids are often a long time coming and that can quickly become a frosty experience in January.
Unlike, for example, the solar eclipse in December 2020, you don't need any special equipment to observe falling stars.
In order to see as much as possible, however, the eyes should
get used
to the
complete darkness
for 15 to 20 minutes
.
Compared to other meteor showers, quadrantids are not as bright, but it is worth looking carefully.
Shooting stars: what are the quadrantids exactly?
Unlike many other
meteor showers
, the quadrantids are not part of a
comet
, but come from an
asteroid
.
This is called
2003 EH1
and takes 5.52 years to go around the
sun
.
The quadrantids are small fragments of the asteroid, which is why the asteroid 2003 EH1 is also known as the mother body.
Once a year the earth crosses these splinter parts on its orbit around the sun.
The high speed of the quadrantids creates friction when they
penetrate
the
earth's atmosphere
.
There they burn up and leave a
trail of light
that we call a shooting star.
The Quadrantids are among the
four most active star scale swarms
.
The Perseids can also be observed in July / August, the Leonids in November and the Geminids in December.
Shooting stars in January 2021: where did the Quadrantids get their name from?
In the northern sky there used to be a constellation called the
Wall Quadrant
.
However, this is no longer a common constellation.
Today the Wall
Quadrant
is part of the
Bear
Guardian constellation
, which
means
"Bootes"
in
Latin
, which is
why the Quadrantids are often called
Bootids
.
The Bear Guardian constellation also represents the point in the sky from which the shooting stars seem to fall.
Experts speak of a
"radiant"
at this point
.
In this case, this is particularly far north in the sky, which is why the meteor shower should be particularly well visible in the north.
Shooting stars 2021: can you watch them forever?
Shooting stars are quick and often difficult to photograph.
But with the right photo tips for shooting stars, the special spectacle in January 2021 can be captured for eternity.
(ij)