Quadrantid meteor January 4, 2012 via dshorty on Flickr.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is always the first meteor shower of every new year, and 2014 is no exception. The shower comes each year in early January and favors the Northern Hemisphere because its radiant point is so far north on the sky’s dome. In fact, the Quadrantids might be the strongest and most famous major meteor shower that you’ve never seen.
That’s because, although it can match the meteor numbers (50 to 100 meteors or more an hour) of the better-known August Perseid and December Geminid showers, the Quadrantids’ peak is very narrow. The peaks of the Perseid shower or Geminid shower persist more or less for a day or more, allowing all time zones around the world to enjoy a good display of Perseids and Geminids. Meanwhile, the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower lasts only a few hours.
So you have to be on the right part of Earth, the part that’s in nighttime – preferably with the radiant high in your sky – during those few hours of the shower’s peak, in order to see the most Quadrantid meteors. Follow the links below to learn more about the Quadrantids in 2014.
What are the peak dates for the Quadrantid shower in 2014?
Who will see the Quadrantid meteor shower best in 2014?
What time should I watch the Quadrantid meteor shower in 2014?
Where is the radiant point for the Quadrantid shower?
The Quadrantids are named for a constellation that no longer exists.
Quadrantid meteors have a mysterious parent object.
What are the peak dates for the Quadrantid shower in 2014? Different sources give different dates and precise times for meteor shower peaks. We like the Observer’s Handbook, whose 2014 edition gives the date of peak on January 3, and the time at 20:00 Universal Time.
If that prediction holds true, the peak will be 2 p.m. for the central United States on January 3; in other words, it’ll be in daylight for us in the U.S. But the predictions aren’t always accurate. This is nature, after all.
We recommend watching before dawn January 3 if you are in North America. If you’re in Asia, watch before dawn January 4. For Europe and the Middle East, it’s a tossup between the two dates. Take your pick.
What time should I watch the Quadrantid meteor shower in 2014? All other things being equal, for any meteor showers, you are likely to see the most meteors when the radiant is high in the sky. In the case of the Quadrantid shower, the radiant point is seen highest in the sky in the dark hour before dawn.
Unlike most meteor showers, however, you have to hope that the narrow peak of Quadrantid shower happens at or near the same hour that the radiant point resides highest in your sky. Here’s that peak time again, according to the 2014 Observer’s Handbook: January 3 at 20:00 Universal Time. Click here to translate Universal Time to your time zone.
Who will see the Quadrantid meteor shower best in 2014? The world map above shows the day and night sides of Earth at the instant of the predicted peak of the 2014 Quadrantids, which should be before dawn on January 4 for eastern Asia. On the worldwide map, the shadow line running across the Pacific Ocean represents sunrise.
Keep in mind that this forecast represents a best guess, not an ironclad guarantee as to when the peak will actually happen. If the peak comes a few to several hours earlier than predicted, western North America might see the shower peak before dawn on January 3.
Now here’s the good news for all of us, no matter where we are in the Northern Hemisphere. In 2014, the slender waxing crescent moon will set at very early evening, providing a dark sky for meteor watching.
The radiant point for the Quadrantid shower is highest up in the sky during the dark hour before dawn. If the peak of the shower comes as predicted – and that’s a big if – then Asia should be in a good place to watch this year’s Quadrantid meteor shower, especially with no moon to ruin the view. But die-hard meteor watchers in other parts of the Northern Hemisphere will brave the cold anyway, hoping to glimpse a meteor or two! Moreover, the peak might come earlier or later than predicted.
Read more HERE
- EarthSky
