Meteor showers seen early next year

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino skywatchers will be treated to a spectacular fireball show early next year.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the annual Quadrantid meteor shower will be active from Jan. 1 to 7.

The Quadrantids will peak Jan. 3 and 4 and meteors or falling stars could be seen at the rate of at least 40   per hour, PAGASA added.

The Quadrantid meteor shower hits the Earth’s atmosphere at the rate of about 40 kilometers per second based on the weather bureau’s astronomical diary for January 2014.

The meteors radiate from the constellation of Bootes.

The incinerated dust are said to be particles derived from the debris ejected by the near-Earth asteroid 2003 EH.

Astronomers said the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower would last only a few hours.

“Asia should be in a good place to watch this year’s Quadrantid meteor shower, especially with no moon to ruin the view,” according to the website earthsky.org.

Meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds on parallel trajectories.

Most meteors are smaller than a grain of sand, so almost all of them disintegrate and never hit the Earth’s surface.