Quadrantid meteors before dawn on January 3, 4
29 comments DownloadTonight is Friday, Jan 02 2009
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The Quadrantid meteor shower is capable of matching the meteor rates of the better known August Perseid and December Geminid showers, producing up to 60 (or more) meteors per hour.
So why is the Quadrantid shower not as celebrated as the Perseid and Geminid showers? It’s because the Quadrantid shower has a sharp peak that only lasts for an hour or two. If you miss the peak – which is easy to do – the otherwise tepid shower can easily disappoint. However, if the International Meteor Organization forecast holds true, far western and far northern North America may be in a good position to watch the Quadrantids in the wee hours before dawn tomorrow.
The Quadrantid shower is named after the defunct 19th century constellation Quadrans Muralis. If you trace the paths of the Quandrantids backward, they appear to radiate from a point where this constellation once reigned in the sky. This point is called the meteor shower radiant. If you wish, you can star-hop to the Quadrantid radiant from Vega and other key stars.
But you don’t have to find the radiant to enjoy the Quadrantids. You need a dark, open sky and to look in a general north-northeast direction for an hour or so before dawn.
Could you give the peak time in GMT. If it only lasts an hour or two depending on where we are (Arizona) we may miss it.
Thanks, Andy
Andy,
The predicted time for the Quadrantid peak is 12:50 Universal Time on Saturday, January 3. Subtracting 7 hours, that’s 5:50 a.m. Mountain Time, so the dark hour before dawn is your best bet.
Good luck!
Bruce
Im really bad with time conversions…would you be able to tell me what time the peak would be for CT? the website that you have a link to for the calendar of showers for 2009 is great. Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Nicole.
The best time to watch the Quadrantids from all over North America is during the wee hours before dawn on January 3. However, since this shower has a very narrow peak which is not altogether predictable, the Quadrantid shower is a crapshoot. If the forecast holds, the West Coast is favored over the East Coast. But meteor showers are notorious for defying predictions. If the Quadrantid shower peaks a few hours earlier than expected, the East Coast may have the advantage. Time will tell! No matter where you live, the dark hour before dawn on January 3 is your best bet.
Bruce
Will it be a good sight from central VA, kind of near Richmond? Also, the last meteor shower I saw, the Geminid I think, around 8:00 PM I saw something fly through the sky. It didn’t have a tail like most “shooting stars”. It was about the size of a pebble from perspective. I saw it out of the corner of my eye and I looked up and it continued its path through the sky for a couple seconds and disappeared. I’ve never seen one that big and last that long. It was amazing. I just wanted to know what it could have been. My guess is that it was a meteor but the strange thing is that it didn’t have a tail.
What about Chattanooga, Tennessee? I have a pretty low key telescope but do I need one to see it? Or will I be out of range for the meteors?
Hi…I’m in central Phoenix would I look to the North/East just before dawn on Jan.3…Oh, wise one :).
Thanks,
Shelley
Hey, Happy New Year and Thanks so much for these informative reports.
I’m cruising in Europe these days – do you know of a site I can find out what’s going
on in these skies or is it pretty comparable other than times?
Of course I can see Venus loud and clear, will I be able to catch the meteor showers do you think?
Cheers to you!
Mook
Hey, Happy New Year and Thanks so much for these informative reports.
I’m cruising in Europe these days – do you know of a site I can find out what’s going
on in these skies or is it pretty comparable other than times?
Of course I can see Venus loud and clear, will I be able to catch the meteor showers do you think?
Cheers to you!
Mook
To Lee, Mary, Shelley, Monk,
No matter where you live, the best time to look for the Quadtrantid meteors is before dawn on Janaury 3. At mid-northern latitudes, start loooking around 4 in the morning. Look in a general NE direction but with as large an expanse of sky as possible. For this reason, the unaided eye is preferable to an optical aid. Because the Quadrantid peak is so short, you may or may not see a good number of meteors in the dark hour before dawn. Worldwide, the best viewing is expected to be in NW North America and NE Asia.
Good luck!
Bruce
Hi All and Happy New Year,
So, what happened to this defunct constellation Quadrans Muralis?
How could it just vanish? Did it blow up or what?
Thanks.
David
opalvisions
I understand that forecasting is ultimately a guess, for the most part, and, myself being new at meteor watching, or sky watching for that matter, I am a little bit confused as to the time to watch for the Quadrantids shower. I am in Ohio, and I am going to try and take a date with me (isn’t that a cool date, eh?…lol) with me, but, due to the bitter cold of the year, I would like to get an estimated time to be out, instead of staying out all night, and turning into human icicles (lol). Can anyone help me out with a window of time for EST watching window? I would sincerely appreciate any advise!!!!! P.S. What is the favored chance that the East Coast will be favored over the West Coast?
I will be watching the AZ sky tomorrow morning. thanks for the concise info! Perhaps I will get some good photos. If so, I will share them here: (http://JoeDotCom.com )
-Joe
hi
im kinda new at this ,but i would like to know , what would be the best time to watch this meteor shower if say you live in northern ontario
what time will i need to go out side?
what time will i need to go out side?
what time will i need to go out side?
what time will i need to go out side?
The Quadrantids shower sounds fantastic, especially for a date night in Ohio with that special someone. I’m looking forward to seeing it before dawn, right here in the Southwest thanks to a good friend who told me about it. I was glad to have him tell me about this website, as I have always wondered where to find out this kind of information. Oh, and Clay, just cuddle up with your date, and you won’t turn into a human icicle.
I just came back.. and it was really pretty.. i managed to catch about 20 or so. I started watching from 5:20 to 6:15. Most of them were very fast…but one seemed to be pretty slow moving.
1. Is it worth checking out the morning of Jan 4 as well? What would the hourly rates be for Sat night/Sun morning? I cannot seem to find this info anywhere. For Jan 3/4, would it be better to go our in the early evening of Jan 3 since maximum hits Saturday morning (this would be closer to max), or are the wee hours usually better because of the position of the Earth?
2.when does the moon set Sat night?
3.What resource do you recommend for dark sky charts (showing best viewing locations)?
Thanks!
Hi I was interested to know if any viewing will be possible tonight or in the early hours before dawn, as was this morning. I am in the Central time zone.
Hi I was interested to know if any viewing will be possible tonight or in the early hours before dawn, as was this morning. I am in the Central time zone.
Hi it is January 3 around 5:30 pm here in NYC. The park rangers are having a viewing at 7pm tonight…….shall we bother to go? haven’t we missed it already?
Could you please let me know if the meteor shower will still be visible on Jan. 4/5, I live in West Virginia?
Thanks
I work as a groundskeeper in the City Parks in Phoenix AZ and while working this morning between 5:30 am and sunrise I witnessed a beautiful shower. I counted 13 in all before sunrise. I will gaze up again tomorrow morning from the darkness of the park in hopes of an even better show. I love your website, thank you for all you do.
We saw a large sparkler looking something shoot across south to north while traveling east on route 80 about 15 miles into NJ from PA. it was about 6:00pm on 1-4-09 Sunday. Could that have been part of the meteor shower
We saw a large sparkler looking something shoot across south to north while traveling east on route 80 about 15 miles into NJ from PA. it was about 6:00pm on 1-4-09 Sunday. Could that have been part of the meteor shower
Rick,
Since you saw the meteor at early evening, I doubt that it was a Quadrantid. The radiant point for the Quadrantid shower is in front of the constellation Bootes, which doesn’t rise till around midnight (at mid-northern latitudes). The shower radiant is highest in the sky just before dawn.
Bruce