NEW: Peak Times to Watch Tonight’s Meteor Shower
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
It's time for a cold shower. I’m talking about the Quadrantid meteor shower, which peaks tomorrow morning (Wednesday, January 4) from about 2:00am until dawn’s early light.
It figures that the mild weather has now disappeared and will be replaced with possibly single digit temperatures during the peak of the Quadrantid shower. This scenario will probably deter many of you from leaving the warmth of your bed to watch a few “burning rocks” fall from the sky.
I can’t expect anyone to watch for any consecutive amount of time due to the low and dangerous temperatures. But since the peak is expected to occur around 2:00am, observers can potentially count dozens of meteors during a short span of time. Unfortunately a waxing gibbous Moon will brighten the sky somewhat prior to its setting around 3:00am.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHowever, at peak time the radiant point (the area of sky from where the meteors appear to originate) will not be far from the end star (Alkaid) of the Big Dipper’s handle, on the opposite side of the sky from where the Moon will be. The Quadrantids are often blue and frequently blaze more than halfway across the sky at 25.5 miles per second.
Select an observing location as far from interfering light pollution as possible. Even if you plan on spending only a few minutes or so to catch a glimpse of a few shooting stars, please dress appropriately. For safety sake make sure you tell someone where and when you will be observing.
If you can only observe for a minimum amount of time, I recommend doing so from 1:30am to 2:30am. Simply look in the direction of the Big Dipper asterism of Ursa Major. Predictions can be off, so don’t overstay your vigil and get chilled to the bone.
Want to stay warm? You can snuggle in and watch NASA's live stream, here:
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