Q. The term “Quadrantids” often seen in news is related to which of the following?
Quarterly-SFG-Jan-to-March
Red Book

[A] Meteor showers

[B] Asteroid belt

[C] Saturn Satellites

[D] Earth like planets

Answer: A
Notes:

The Quadrantids, which peak during early-January each year, are considered to be one of the best annual meteor showers.  

  • Most meteor showers have a two-day peak, which makes catching sight of these other meteors much more possible.  
  • The Quadrantids peak, on the other hand, is much shorter—only a few hours. (The reason the peak is so short is due to the shower’s thin stream of particles and the fact that the Earth crosses the stream at a perpendicular angle.)  
  • During its peak, 60 to as many as 200 Quadrantid meteors can be seen per hour under perfect conditions. 
  • Quadrantids are also known for their bright fireball meteors. Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak.  
  • This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of material. Fireballs are also brighter, with magnitudes brighter than -3. 

Source: The Hindu 


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