The Arthur C. Clarke Institute says that one of the major meteor showers expected this year will be visible tonight and tomorrow night.
Accordingly, the shower will be best seen in the north-eastern sky between 4.00 a.m. and 5.00 a.m. tomorrow.
Chairman of the Arthur C. Clarke Institute and Director of the Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences of the University of Colombo, Professor Chandra Jayaratne, said that around 80 meteors per hour are expected to be visible.
Elaborating further, Professor Jayaratne said:
“Several astronomically significant events will take place in the New Year 2026, and January in particular is special.
Many people are now talking about the supermoon. In addition to that, if you observe the night sky on Saturday and Sunday, the 3rd and 4th of January, you will be able to see one of the main meteor showers. To observe it clearly, the best time is in the early hours of the morning, roughly between 4.00 a.m. and 6.00 a.m., especially between 4.00 a.m. and 5.00 a.m., looking towards the north-east. We expect to see about 80 meteors per hour. These are not fragments of a comet, but rather particles that originate from asteroids.”
“Another special feature of the 3rd of January is that, in fact, there will not be just twelve full moon days this year. Usually there is one per month, but this year there will be thirteen, with two in May. In January there will be one full moon, and on that day the Moon will appear brighter than usual.
That is why many people call it a supermoon. It will appear about 14 per cent larger and about 30 per cent brighter than on an ordinary full moon, although this is noticeable mainly to a trained observer.
It is best to observe it as soon as the Moon rises. On the 3rd, at 3.32 p.m. Sri Lanka time, the Moon will be at its closest point to the Earth. Therefore, when a full moon occurs close to this point, the Moon appears larger.
Normally, the Moon orbits the Earth at an average distance of about 384,000 kilometres, following an elliptical path. When a full moon occurs at the point where this ellipse brings the Moon closest to the Earth, it is known as a supermoon.”
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