用象限仪座流星群照亮夜空

用象限仪座流星群照亮夜空

The Quadrantid meteors, the first major meteor shower of 2020, will peak in the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 4, but you'll have to act fast if you want to see them.

象限仪流星是2020年的第一场大型流星雨，将在1月4日黎明前达到峰值，但如果你想看到它们，就必须行动迅速。

They only appear for a few hours, an especially narrow window for spotting anything in the night sky. Though short, the meteor shower should be strong thanks to a waxing moon. In years past, the Quadrantids have produced 50-100 meteors per hour, and under ideal conditions, can spark up to 200 meteors per hour. The peak of this year's shower — around 3:20 a.m. EST on Saturday — could be one of the best opportunities for skywatchers, and well-worth braving the cold to experience.

它们只出现几个小时，是观察夜空中任何东西的一个特别窄的窗口。虽然流星雨时间很短，但由于月圆，流星雨的强度应该会很大。在过去的几年中，象限仪座流星群每小时产生50-100颗流星，在理想的条件下，每小时能产生200颗流星。今年的阵雨高峰——美国东部时间周六凌晨3点20分左右——对天文爱好者来说可能是最好的机会之一，值得冒着严寒去体验一下。

On top of that, the meteor shower's radiant point — where the meteors appear to originate — is relatively far north in the Northern Hemisphere. So if you live in North America, you'll have a good opportunity to see the show.

最重要的是，流星雨的辐射点——也就是流星的起源点——在北半球相对较北的地方。所以如果你住在北美，你将有一个很好的机会去看这部剧。

Not like other meteor showers

不像其他的流星雨

Quadrantid meteor shower trails above Mount Hamilton in San Jose, California, in this undated photo. (Photo: Jeffrey T. Kreulen/Shutterstock)

While most meteor showers originate from a comet, the Quadrantids originate from Asteroid 2003 EH1. Most meteor showers are also named for the constellation closest to their radiation point, but the Quadrantids differ in this respect as well. There once was a constellation named Quadrans Muralis — thus the name — but it was incorporated into the constellation Boötes in 1922. If that doesn't ring a bell, try looking just below the Big Dipper starting around midnight, let your eyes get adjusted and look for meteors for at least an hour. Then, you should be in for a good show.

虽然大多数流星雨起源于彗星，但象限仪起源于小行星2003 EH1。大多数流星雨也以离其辐射点最近的星座命名，但象限仪在这方面也有所不同。曾经有一个星座被命名为“四角星座”(因此得名)，但是它在1922年被并入了“靴子星座”。如果你还没想起来，试着从午夜开始往北斗七星下面看，让你的眼睛适应一下，至少花一个小时来寻找流星。那么，你应该会看到一场精彩的演出。

So if you have a camera, get ready and find a prime stargazing spot for one of the best meteor showers of the year.

所以，如果你有照相机，准备好，为今年最好的流星雨之一找一个最佳的观星点。