One of the richest yet least-known annual displays of “shooting stars” starts off the new year. But this time around, it will be sharing the sky with a brilliant source of natural “light pollution” - the Full Moon! Despite its interference, this display will still be worth watching.
Among the meteor showers to grace our skies each year, that known as the Quadrantids outranks nearly all of them, including the famed Perseids in August. Its peak hourly meteor rate is only matched by that of the Geminids in December. Under clear, dark sky conditions, observers can expect to see 100 or more shooting stars per hour at its peak (compared to about 80 for the Perseids). In 2008, the shower will occur between January 1st and 5th, with maximum activity coming on January 4th. The radiant - that point in the sky from which the meteors appear to stream - lies in the constellation Bootes. And although it doesn’t rise until well after midnight in January, meteors can still be seen shooting from over the northeastern horizon after darkness falls.
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The annual Orionid Meteor Shower will provide another fine display of celestial fireworks for skywatchers during the early morning hours of October 21st. The window of opportunity for having a dark sky in which to see these “shooting stars” occurs soon after the 9-day-old Moon goes down around 1:30 a.m. EDT and before the Sun comes up. So plan to head to bed early the night before and set your alarm accordingly; losing some sleep to get up in the wee hours for a meteor watch will definitely be well worth it!
Given clear skies on the morning of October 21st, observers will be treated to one of the year’s most reliable displays of shooting stars — the Orionids. Peak activity occurs around 5 a.m. EDT, with as many as 25 meteors an hour being visible under good conditions. While not one of the richer showers, it’s radiant (the point from which the meteors appear to “shoot”) is located in a glorious part of the heavens — that of magnificent Orion! The actual point lies between Betelgeuse in the Hunter’s shoulder and (this year) nearby Mars, with both sentries glowing a brilliant ruddy-orange in hue.
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