Quadrantid Meteor Shower January 2010: Listen Via Live Audio Stream on the Internet! When, Where, & How to Watch or Listen

The Quadrantid Meteor Shower is one of the strongest meteor events of the year. The Quadrantids shower down at a peak rate as high as 180 meteors per hour (1982) from their radiant point, which lies in their namesake Quadrans Muralis, the Wall Quadrant- an archaic constellation that modern star atlases show as re-mapped into northern Boötes. Unlike most meteor showers, which are generated by comets, the Quadrantids are parented by the asteroid 2003 EH1.

2010 Quadrantid Meteor Shower. The bright blue Quadrantid meteors burn more than half way across the sky- their streaking lights looking like shooting stars as they collide with Earth's upper atmosphere at 91,800 miles per hour (25.5 miles per second), which is faster than the speed of sound at 768mph (which translates to one mile per 5 seconds). The Quadrantids are expected to shower down this year at a peak rate of 120 meteors per hour- some of them may blaze for five or six seconds before vaporizing. Some will leave lasting dust trains. Because viewing conditions are unfavorable this year due to a bright moon and particularly cold weather (in actual winter climates), an exciting option is to listen to them.

When to Watch or Hear the Northern Hemisphere Shower of Quadrantids. The Quadrantids will fall for a few days before and after their zenith or peak- this year from December 28, 2009 to January 7, 2010. Their peak rate is due on Sunday, January 3, 2010 around 19h Universal Time (UT) and will last for just an hour. The peak time is brief because the orbit of 2003 EH1 is highly inclined (nearly perpendicular) to Earth's orbit. Thus, Earth passes quickly through the narrow stream of meteoroids.

Some sky-watchers theorize that a very strong peak could fall earlier on January 3, possibly between 12h and 16h UT. Simply put- the radiant rises after local midnight so watch or hear the Quadrantids just before dawn on Sunday, January 3. Although, the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) suggests watching them on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST. They also suggest that 'viewers in Asia will fare better since the peak occurs before sunrise there'.

How to Listen to the Quadrantids-.Armchair crowd. Bring up the Internet on your computer and visit spaceweatherradio.com during the Quadrantids' peak hour (and for several hours thereafter) for a live audio stream from the Air Force Space Surveillance Radar. Click on the big rectangular yellow button 'Listen!'. Or visit this direct link wowzaweb.streamguys.com/~spaceweather/. Either way, you will first hear a 30-second introduction by Dr. Tony Phillips and then you can listen indefinitely to live meteor radio echoes- the surveillance radar's powerful transmitter echoes from the meteors' ion trails. Dr. Phillips is the production editor for Science @ NASA. (While writing this article, the author is intently listening to sporadic meteors and other space sounds. Ping!).

Radio Amateurs. The Quadrantids may be heard on the radio during their peak and for about 9-12 hours thereafter. Radio Amateurs use the meteor trails as a broadcast method by bouncing signals off the short-lived ion trails. Depending on the angle at which a radio amateur's signal hits a trail, the amateur can gain immense distances of communication on the VHF bands. He can build up contacts bit by bit on successive meteor trails.

Conditions for Viewing the Quadrantids. The Moon is waning gibbous on January 3. Thus, the reflected sunlight on the orb will give the appearance of a three-quarter slice. Its brightness will make the bright Quadrantids less visible.

Where to View the Quadrantids. From a rural area with a good horizon, at least fifty miles from city lights, look high in the northeast sky between the constellations Hercules (the strong man) and Boötes (the herdsman) for the Quadrantid meteors. The Quadrantids will shower down from the direction of their radiant, which is west of the Big Dipper's handle and near the North Star (Polaris). Last year, NASA scientists had a clear view of several Quadrantids when they flew an aircraft above the clouds and over the Arctic Circle.

Prepare Yourself for Viewing the Quadrantids. Dress in warm outwear. Take along a down sleeping bag, a comfortable recliner deck chair, and a thermos of your favorite hot drink. Binoculars and telescopes are unnecessary for observing meteors.

About the Quadrantids Parent 2003 EH1. The asteroid 2003 EH1 was identified by Peter Jenniskens of the NASA Ames Research Center in December 2003. It most likely broke off an obsolete comet circa 500 years ago. However, the 2003 EH1 could be the same space object as the comet C/1490 Y1, observed by Chinese, Japanese and Korean astronomers 500 years ago. The 2003 EH1's meteor shower was discovered by Adolphe Quetelet of Brussels Observatory in the 1830s.

About Meteors. Meteors begin as meteoroids, which are grains of icy dust and rock that spew from the prime layer of a comet as its nucleus melts or as in some cases, such as the Quadrantids, when the grains break away from an asteroid surface. These discharges of space debris form streams. When a comet or an asteroid has an orbit that traverses the Sun's inner Solar System, Earth passes through the trailing debris streams.

As the meteoroids of a debris stream of meet Earth's atmosphere- an impact that typically causes them to burn up and vaporize- they become meteors for those brief remaining instants of existence. Exceptionally-bright meteors typically have large fiery tails and are called fireballs. Meteors that explode are called bolides.

Any meteors that are big enough and dense enough to survive Earth's atmosphere and ultimately impact Earth's surface are called meteorites. Because meteorites travel faster than the speed of sound, they may make sonic booms.

_{Sources: skyandtelescope.com; en.wikipedia.org; www.spaceweather.com; pari.edu}