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(meteorobs) Watching for Quadrantid Meteors
The Quadrantid meteor shower is expected to peak near 18:00 Universal
Time on January 3, 2002. This time corresponds to the early evening for
European locations, mid-day for North America, and the early morning
hours for eastern Asia. This shower is also known as the Bootids since
the radiant position at the time of maximum activity lies in a remote
portion of northern Bootes. Star charts at the time of this shower's
discovery (1825) listed the constellation of Quadrans Muralis in this
position hence the name "Quadrantids".
This shower is of short duration lasting only 5 days. It reaches a
zenith hourly rate of 1 on January 1. Rates remain low until only a few
hours before maximum activity on January 3. At this time rates will
climb steadily with rates nearly doubling each hour. The actual maximum
is short-lived and rates plummet just as fast as they climbed. Rates
will fall below a ZHR of 1 on January 6.
One must be in the right place at the right time to see the Quads at
their best. In over 35 years of viewing I have only seen the Quads at
maximum activity only once. Of course clouds and bright moonlight have
also been a factor in trying to see the Quadrantids. The Quads at
maximum activity are an impressive sight with rates surpassing 100 per
hour and many fireballs being seen. We thought we had another
opportunity to see such activity in 2001 but the maximum arrived late
and the best rates were only 50 per hour as seen from the Mojave Desert.
With a peak predicted near 18:00 UT the western Pacific areas are
favored in 2002. Japan, the Korea's and eastern China are favored
locations. Should it again arrive late then points further west will see
the best activity. It should be noted that locations west of the
International Date Line will see the best activity on the morning of
January 4, not the 3rd.
Unfortunately this year the moon will be 80 percent illuminated and will
be above the horizon during the entire morning. If your sky is clear and
transparent you should be able to see some Quadrantid activity. This
situation will be somewhat similar to the 2002 return of the Leonids on
November 19. This will be a good opportunity to see just how well you
can see meteor activity with a bright moon in the sky. The Quads are
bright like the Leonids and some activity should be visible despite the
moon's glare. To see any activity it will be essential to face away from
the moon toward the north or northeast. Look high enough in the sky so
that none of your field of view is wasted on the ground.
On January 3 the Quadrantid radiant lies at 15:20 (230) +49. This area
of the sky lies below the horizon for locations south of latitude 35N at
the dusk. One would have to be located north of 50N to see any decent
evening Quadrantid activity. One good factor about early evening
observing is that the moon would be below the horizon. At 18:00 UT the
areas of Scandinavia, Scotland and Iceland may be able to see some good
Quadrantid activity with the moon below the horizon.
The radiant reaches it lowest point near 8:00pm (20:00) local time for
all locations. At this time the radiant elevation ranges from +21
degrees for those located at latitude 60N to -59 degrees for those
located at latitude 20S. At midnight local time the radiant ranges from
+30 degrees for those located at latitude 60N to -31 degrees for those
located at latitude 20S. Prime time for viewing the Quadrantids is 1
hour before the start of morning astronomical twilight. This time ranges
from approximately 6:00am (0600) at 60N, 5:00am (0500) at 30N, 4:15am
(0415) at the equator, 3:30am (0330) at 20S. The approximate radiant
altitude at these times will be 68 degrees at 60N, 47 degrees at 30N, 17
degrees at the equator and -5 degrees at 20S. As you can see there will
not be much activity to be seen from locations south of the equator.
The Quadrantids strike the earth at a velocity of 41 kilometers per
second. This is a bit faster than the recent Geminids but much slower
than the Leonids. Like all meteors, the Quads will appear to move slowly
if see near their radiant or near the horizon. If see far from the
radiant and high in the sky they will appear to travel more swiftly.
Quadrantids will only occasionally produce persistent trains.
The parent object of the Quadrantids is not presently known. It could be
an undiscovered comet or asteroid. It is also possible that the parent
object has completely disintegrated and that the Quadrantid meteoroids
are all that remains.
Good luck with your viewing attempts!
Robert Lunsford
AMS Visual Program Coordinator
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