Quadrantids

Quadrantids (QUA)
Pronunciation/kwɒˈdræntədz/
Discovery date1820s[1]
Parent body2003 EH1
Radiant
ConstellationBoötes
Right ascension15h 28m [2]
Declination+50°[2]
Properties
Occurs duringDecember 28 – January 12[2]
Date of peakJanuary 3[2]
Velocity41[3] km/s
Zenithal hourly rate120 [4]
See also: List of meteor showers

The Quadrantids (QUA) are a meteor shower that peaks in early January and whose radiant lies in the constellation Boötes. The zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) of this shower can be as high as that of two other reliably rich meteor showers, the Perseids in August and the Geminids in December,[4] yet Quadrantid meteors are not seen as often as those of the two other showers because the time frame of the peak is exceedingly narrow, sometimes lasting only hours. Moreover, the meteors are quite faint, with mean apparent magnitudes between 3.0 and 6.0.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference meteorshowersonline.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference moore_rees2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference jrasc47_237 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Does the published meteor rate for a shower really represent what I should expect to see?". American Meteor Society. Retrieved 2012-12-29.