Astronomy Israel: Quadrantid's Meteor Shower Peaks January 3-4

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Quadrantid's Meteor Shower Peaks January 3-4

The first meteor shower of 2018, the Quadrantid's, peaks on the night of January 3 and the early morning of January 4. The peak is predicted for midnight, Israel Standard Time (IST). Unfortunately a nearly full moon will be in the sky all night and spoil the fun for all but the brightest members of the shower. If you're going to try viewing it just find a dark location and look up. No optical aid is required or even desirable. Just your own two eyes. Forecast rates for the peak are 11 meteors per hour, but on good years I have seen many more. This full moon of January 1-2 was the full Wolf Moon of winter, a supermoon, occurring during the moon's closest approach to earth, hence bigger and brighter than a regular full moon. Its light blocks out many meteors during peak shower nights. If you go out, stay warm!