Home > Ephemeris Program, Meteor Shower, Observing > 01/03/11 – Ephemeris – The earth at perihelion and the Quadrantid meteor shower

01/03/11 – Ephemeris – The earth at perihelion and the Quadrantid meteor shower

January 3, 2011

Monday, January 3rd.  The sun will rise at 8:19.  It’ll be up for 8 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 5:14.   The moon, 1 day before first quarter, will rise at 8:26 tomorrow morning.

We have two celestial events today.  Around 2:30 this afternoon the earth with be at its closest point to the sun called perihelion, only 91.4 million miles.  We’re a little too far north to need the extra sun screen.  What really happens is the earth travels faster in its orbit making winter the shortest season.  Tonight will see the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower.  These meteors seem to come from the defunct constellation of the Quadrangle near the tip of the handle of the Big Dipper.  It can be as productive as the meteors of August.  Up to 100 an hour may be seen toward dawn when the radiant point is high in the sky.  Early in the evening the radiant will be low in the north giving us fewer but longer meteor trails in the sky.

* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.

 

Quadrantid meteor shower radiant at 1:30 a.m.

Quadrantid meteor shower radiant at 1:30 a.m. Looking northeast.

 

 

 

Categories: Ephemeris Program, Meteor Shower, Observing
  1. richard kuschell's avatar
    richard kuschell
    January 3, 2011 at 4:50 pm

    Congrats on the good numbers. Always interesting and informative.

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