On the age and formation mechanism of the core of the Quadrantid meteoroid stream

We performed backwards numerical integrations of the equations of motion of a large number of 'clones' of both, the eight high-precision photographic and five radar Quadrantid meteors, along with the proposed parent body, 2003 EH1. According to our results, from the backward integrations, the most likely age of the narrow structure of the Quadrantids is between 200 and 300 years. These presumed ejection epochs, corresponding to 1700-1800 AD, are then used for forward integrations of large numbers of hypothetical meteoroids, ejected from the parent 2003 EH1, until the present epoch. The aim is to constrain whether the core of the Quadrantid meteoroid stream is consistent with a previously proposed relatively young age (≈200 years).