The observable universe can be measured – but there may be more space out there than we can observe.
A quadrantid meteor streaks through the morning sky above Parsonsfield, Maine. Credit: Abhijit Patil
Ring in the New Year this week with the Quadrantid meteor shower, the first major observational event of 2024. The show will peak with up to 120 meteors per hour under dark skies on the night of January 3/4. But as with any meteor shower, you'll likely see meteors on either side for several days — meaning you may already see some quadrantids in tonight's sky.
Quadrantids is named because its radiation — the point from which its meteors appear — is located in the now-defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis. The constellation was discovered by the French astronomer Jerome Lalande in 1795, but was not accepted by the International Astronomical Union when it formalized its list of 88 modern constellations in the early 20th century. Today, the radiation of the Quadrantids is located in the modern constellation Boötes.
For more on constellations, see Contributing Editor Michael Pakich's story from our February 2019 issue.
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„Oddany rozwiązywacz problemów. Przyjazny hipsterom praktykant bekonu. Miłośnik kawy. Nieuleczalny introwertyk. Student.