Active 1-6 January

Radiant RA 15h28m Dec +50^o

The New Year opens with very favourable conditions for the Quadrantids, one of the three most active regular annual showers. Poorly observed in most recent years thanks to a combination of factors – a very narrow period of high activity, poor January weather, and moonlight interference in at least one year out of three! – the shower was last well-covered by BAA observers in 1992, when peak ZHR 120-140 was found. Activity is close to peak levels for only about six hours: at other times, only a ‘trickle’ of a few meteor per hour might be detected.

Timing of the Quadrantid peak on 2008 is very favourable from the UK perspective: the shower maximum is expected around Jan 04d 05h UT, just before dawn at our longitudes. Observations in the hours after midnight on the Thursday night to Friday morning of Jan 3-4 will be most productive. At this time, the Moon will be a waning crescent a  few days from New, offering dark skies.  

Local Time     Altitude (53^oN)            Local Time     Altitude (53^oN)

17                    22.5^o                             00                    21.8^o

18                    18.1^o                             01                    27.2^o

19                    14.9^o                             02                    33.3^o

20                    13.3^o                             03                    41.8^o

21                    13.1^o                             04                    49.0^o

22                    14.6^o                             05                    56.9^o

23                    17.5^o                             06                    66.3^o

Quadrantids are, like the Geminids, relatively slow meteors, with atmospheric entry velocity 42 km/sec, and the brighter shower members are sometimes strongly coloured (often blue or green). The stream’s dynamic orbital history – much perturbed by Jupiter’s gravity – has made identification of its parent body difficult. It has been suggested that Comet 96P/Machholz may be the source, while more recent studies have proposed that the Quadrantids may be debris from asteroid 2003EH1 (another similarity with the Geminids!), a possible break-up product of Comet 1490Y1 following the latter’s close approach to Jupiter in 1650.

Much of the high activity close to the peak is comprised of moderately bright to faint meteors: as a result of particle-sorting brighter Quadrantids (produced by larger meteoroids) become more numerous following the maximum, and might be in evidence by the very end of the night on 2008 Jan 3-4.

The Quadrantids can certainly be listed as a shower very much in need of observation – so why not make it your New Year’s Resolution to start 2008 with a few hours of meteor watching in the early hours of Jan 3-4!