Amateur astronomers and meteor lovers should prepare for an early morning display by the Quadrantids. This annual meteor shower has a narrow "peak" viewing period of only an hour.
Peak Viewing for the Quadrantid Meteor Shower in 2012
The Quadrantids should peak anywhere from 3am to dawn, local time, on Jan. 4, 2012.
Best Places to View the Quadrantids
As with any nocturnal astronomical event, the best viewing is from a dark location, well away from street lamps or other light pollution.
In 2012, the Quadrantid meteor shower will best be viewed from eastern North America. There are two reasons.
First, they are always most visible in the northern hemisphere. The "radiant", which is the position from which the meteors first appear, nestles among Ursa Major (the Big Dipper), Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper), Draco and Bootes. All these constellations are visible above northern latitudes.
Second, meteor showers peak over the longitudes where the earth is plowing into the rocky debris that falls as meteors. Our planet's leading "edge" is where the time is late night through early morning.
Good and Bad News for Other Quadrantid Viewers
The earth began traveling through the less dense portion of the debris field that creates the Quadrantid meteor shower on Dec. 28th, 2011, and will be clear by January 13th, 2012. Some meteors might be seen in the equatorial regions of the southern hemisphere, and certainly in Europe and Asia, outside the peak times.
However, peak Quadrantid activity can produce up to one meteor sighting per minute. The rate is much worse outside the peak hours.
Expected Viewing Challenges for the Quadrantids in 2012
The moon is waning gibbous, meaning that it is more than half full although decreasing from its recent full moon state. This will provide unwanted brightness to the night sky, so only the most bright meteors will be visible.
Cloud cover is also a possibility. At the time this is being written, New York City should expect partly cloudy conditions from Jan. 3 through 5. Toronto, Ontario may have periods of snow falling during that time.
The Reason for the Quadrantid Meteor Shower
The Quadrantids differ from many other annual meteor showers, because the material is debris from a minor planet, or asteroid, called "2003 EH1". This was discovered in a near-Earth asteroid survey in March, 2003.
The 2003 EH1 object may have broken from a comet reported by astronomers in the Far East in January 1491.
The name, "Quadrantid", derives a constellation that is no longer recognized. The "Quadrans Muralis", meaning something like "wall quadrant" or "hook quadrant", was basically the dark area bordered by Ursa Major and Minor, Draco and Bootes. If these meteors were re-named for their radiant, they would probably be "Booteids".
How to Find the Radiant for the Quadrantids
The basic guideline when seeking streaking Quadrantid meteors is to scan the night sky towards the north-east.
To find the radiant for the Quadrantids, start by locating Ursa Major, the Big Dipper. It is most famous for pointing at Polaris, the North Star in Ursa Minor, or the Little Dipper, with the two stars of its "cup" that are farthest from its "handle". Polaris is the final star at the end of the Little Dipper's "handle".
Follow a line along the two middle stars in the "handle" of the Big Dipper, going away from the "cup". They actually form a straight line from the star where the "handle" and "cup" join.
This line goes through a dark region, parallel with part of Draco's "tail". The radiant is between the "point" on Bootes and the area where Draco's tail begins to curve away from its head.
If you extend the line from the Big Dipper too far, it meets the Hercules constellation after overshooting the Quadrantids radiant.
The Annual Quadrantid Meteor Shower
The "named" meteor showers return every year, although the intensity of each event is impossible to predict. If you miss the peak of the 2012 Quadrantids, just research astronomy news on New Year's Day in 2013.
References:
- PhysOrg from Sky and Telescope, "Quadrantid meteors set to perform on January 4th", published Dec. 31, 2011, referenced Jan. 1, 2012.
- Travis A. Brown, Spacedex, "Don't miss Quadrantids on the night of January 3rd!", referenced Jan. 1, 2012.
- Lenoids MAC, "LEONID DAILY NEWS: December 08, 2003", referenced Jan. 1, 2012.
Mike DeHaan - Copyright (c) Mike DeHaan, B. Math., of DeHaan Services. Well written and well researched freelance articles; ghost writing for clients.
