Meteors of the Quadrantid stream are expected this year to reach their peak about Jan. 3 14h by Universal Time.
This is from 6 to 9 AM by clock times in North America – the end of the night.
The time of the picture is 7 hours before the peak. Really the best time would be the end of this night, just before morning twilight, not only because closer to the peak but because, as the night wears on, the radiant of the Quadrantids swings higher and is highest toward dawn.
A few Quadrantids may be seen any time from late December until Jan. 12, and at their peak they may reach a rate of 60 an hour or higher. But the peak time is quite narrow; and those rates imply near-perfect conditions, which we don’t typically get in midwinter.
The Moon is only a few days old (it will be at First Quarter phase on Jan, 5), so it in the sky only for the first part of the night.
Yes,sir, thank you for the years of Calendars and Companions. This new format of blogs and timely notices must be much easier: you can write what you want, when you want. Bravo!
For instance, I never thought to care at all about a leap second… but your account was fascinating. The history, the ramifications, the why, the comments; all added up to my telling friends to check your new works out! And I would look for the Quadrantids, but here in the northern CA mountains, we’re looking at snow, snow, and more snow…
Thanks for that alert. I enjoyed the process of internalizing the diagram. Unfortunately for some of us in the Northeastern USA we are expected to be overcast and even rained on in places throughout the night. Those who can, enjoy.