Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2020 January 3 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Quadrantids over the Great Wall Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Cheng Luo Explanation: Named for a [5]forgotten constellation, the Quadrantid Meteor Shower is an annual event for planet Earth's northern hemisphere skygazers The shower's [6]radiant on the sky lies within the old, astronomically obsolete constellation [7]Quadrans Muralis. That location is not far from the Big Dipper, at the boundaries of the modern constellations Bootes and Draco. With the radiant out of the frame at the upper right, Quadrantid meteors streak through this night skyscape composed of digital frames recorded in the hours around the shower's peak on January 4, 2013. The last quarter moon illuminates rugged terrain and a section of the [8]Great Wall in Hebei Province, China. A likely source of the dust stream that produces Quadrantid meteors was identified [9]in 2003 as an asteroid. As usual, in 2020 the shower is expected to peak briefly on the night of January 3/4. [10]Meteor fans in North America can anticpate a good show to celebrate the new year in moonless skies before tomorrow's dawn. Free Presentation: [11]APOD Editor to show best astronomy images of 2019 -- and the decade -->tonight in NYC. Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend __________________________________________________________________ [12]< | [13]Archive | [14]Submissions | [15]Index | [16]Search | [17]Calendar | [18]RSS | [19]Education | [20]About APOD | [21]Discuss | [22]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & [25]Jerry Bonnell ([26]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [27]Specific rights apply. [28]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC & [32]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2001/QuadrantidsChineseGreatWall.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. mailto: star - wolf - fire [at] 163 [dot] com 5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Former_constellations 6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070812.html 7. http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/quadrans.htm 8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150313.html 9. http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/leonidnews47.html 10. https://earthsky.org/tonight/quadrantid-meteor-shower-before-dawn-in-early-january 11. http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=40052 12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200102.html 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 21. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=200103 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200104.html 23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 26. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 28. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 30. https://www.nasa.gov/ 31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 32. http://www.mtu.edu/