JEDDAH/TABUK: The world will witness Saturday the beginning of the Quadrantid meteor shower, the first for this year. Visibility will be poor, although it can possibly be sighted in the Kingdom after midnight until before sunset. The Quadrantid meteor showers can be observed in the north-east horizon, specifically to the far-right of the North Star. Eng. Majed Abu Zaahirah, President of the Jeddah Astronomy Society, explained: “The meteors' entrance to earth's atmosphere starts Saturday until the beginning of Safar. The climax of the shower will be Tuesday with 100 meteors per hour”. The best time to view the meteor shower will be in the night hours before sunset as these showers do not last more than a few hours like other showers, Abu Zaahirah explained. “The source of the meteors was unknown until December of 2003 when evidence was found that the source is 2003 EH1, a planetoid that possibly was a part of a comet which broke into pieces more than 500 years ago”. He said that earth moves quickly through the orbit of 2003 EH1, which is the reason why there is a minimal time to view the meteor showers. Abu Zaahirah affirmed that the best locations to view these meteors are the areas located in the far-north of the globe, such as Sweden, Finland, and Norway. “As for areas in the southern hemisphere, the meteor showers' view will not be special”. “It is noteworthy that the point of radiation is the point of convergence between the asterisms of Hercules, The Dragon, and The Bear Driver in the north-eastern horizon to the far-right of the North Star.”
