Happy New Year. Let’s start the year off with a meteor shower.
In many parts of the country, the weather doesn’t look great for viewing a meteor shower, but if you happen to have clear skies over the next few nights, the annual Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on Friday, January 3, and meteors may be visible for the next few days. Occasionally we get a spectacular fireball, but they are rare.
As always, to fully enjoy the Quadrantids, dress warmly – as though it is 10-15 degrees colder than the actual temperature. The Quadrantids seem to come from the northeastern sky (below the tip of the Big Dipper’s handle), but for the best viewing, find as large a patch of open sky as you can, in any direction, away from house or streetlights. Lay back on a blanket or lounger, and just watch the sky - wherever you can see the most sky. You will easily see any bright meteors, and after about 20 minutes or so, your eyes should be “dark adapted” and you will probably be able to pick out several faint ones, too. The naked eye is all you need.
The Moon won’t really interfere, as it is just a thin crescent visible in the southwest after sunset. It will continue to brighten over the next few days as the crescent gets larger. Look for “earthshine” which lets you see the full disk of the Moon due to reflected sunlight from earth. As the crescent gets brighter, earthshine fades away relatively.
The Moon and the Planets
On Friday, January 3, the Moon will be to the left of bright Venus low in the southwest just after sunset. Saturn is the semi-bright “star” to the upper left of the Moon. This grouping might make a very nice photograph with an interesting foreground.
A day later, on Saturday, both Saturn and Venus will be to the lower right of the crescent Moon.
Throughout the evening of Thursday and Friday, January 9 and 10, the Moon will be close to very bright Jupiter – to the right on the 9th and to the upper left on the 10th.
On Monday evening, January 13, most of North America will get a treat. The Moon will pass in front of Mars, from right to left. The further east in Canada you are, you may see both the disappearance and reappearance of Mars as the Moon crosses in front of it. Mars will be easy to identify, as it is the bright reddish “star” close to the Moon.
The exact time totally depends on where you are. As early in the evening as you can see the Moon, look for Mars and then monitor its proximity to the Moon as the Moon approaches it. If you have a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope or telescope, it is quite a treat to see Mars disappear behind the Moon. Of course, you can also see this event naked eye, but it will be more dramatic with some magnification.
It is harder to catch its reappearance, as it will be about three hours before it reappears, depending, very literally, on exactly where you are located.
For the west coast, Mars may already be hidden by the Moon as it rises in the ENE around 5:30 p.m., but you can still watch for Mars to reappear sometime after about 8:00 p.m.
Clear skies.
David
