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[Centaur]

The Quadrantid meteor shower is expected to peak during the night of 2011 JAN 03/04. The Dark Moon will present no hindrance. The radiant is actually in Boötes, while the shower’s name refers to an obsolete constellation. It’s a fairly conspicuous shower, but the peak period is essentially for that one night, which is of shorter duration than most showers.

I’ve created a timetable for the major meteor showers to be seen during 2011-2020. In general any particular meteor shower is best seen in your area during the hours between local midnight* and morning twilight nearest to the time of the global peak. That’s when you’re on the side of the Earth plowing into the meteor stream. It’s also helpful to observe when the radiant constellation is as high as possible. A nearly full or waning gibbous Moon causes the most hindrance. My timetable which includes Moon data can be seen at: www.curtrenz.com/astronomical

* Local midnight is the time midway between sunset and sunrise.

[Paulie pchris00]

Last night's forecast was not favorable for observing, but at 2:00 AM the sky was clearing, and by 2:30 I was outside and set up. I saw one great meteor right away, nice and slow, near the zenith, and an estimated maximum magnitude of -4. After that they were sporadic at best. I observed 14 meteors between 2:33 and 6:07 AM. The shower seemed to peak between 5:16 and 6:07, when I saw eight meteors despite focusing my attention on Saturn, Venus, and eventually Mercury. At least 3 of the 14 meteors I observed seemed to radiate from points not associated with the Quadrantids, but I counted them anyway.

With the global peak last night around 5 PM Chicago time, my peak occurred 13 hours past the true peak.

[hillimolly]

paulie, I was sleeping

[Paulie pchris00]

As you should have been! Don't worry, this was not as spectacular as the Perseid meteor shower we saw with Joe, and it was pretty darned cold. Not something the ordinary person should get out of bed for.

[Centaur]

That’s a fine report, Paulie. Well done! I only braved the cold and wee morning hours one time for the Quadrantids. That was when charting the shower was the focus of my high school freshman science project in 1960. Your results appear mighty similar. Now rest up and spot the New Moon tomorrow evening.

[hillimolly]

I am sad that i didn't see the meteor shower man I was sleeping