On Being Right (and also very cold!)

At 5:26 am, January 3 - outdoor sensor reading -1°F

One of the mysteries of this year's Quadrantid meteor shower (at least from my perspective) is how many news outlets seem to have missed doing their homework - a critical point overlooked by many is that location matters enormously for the Quads. As the media blithely encouraged everyone all over the country to go outside in the pre-dawn hours to "see the show," they weren't taking into account that folks in New England and a good chunk of the eastern seaboard of the U.S. were likely to have a very hard time seeing any unusual activity at all. The first problem is that the Quads are not likely to peak for another 1-2 hours (when it's broad daylight here), and the second problem is that the Quads (unlike many other meteor showers) have a very short window during which they can be seen at all - generally, about an hour on either side of peak. My previous posting explains the challenges in seeing the Quads around here this year, and for even more detail (including a cool graphic showing where viewing will be best on the planet) go to EarthSky.  As it turns out, I did wake up around 4:30 am, and despite the frigid temps I actually ventured outside for about 20 minutes. The sky - or what could be seen of it in the glow of the gibbous moon - was complete glittering stillness. In other words, no meteors. If you had - or are having - a different experience, please let us know what you saw, what time it was, and where you were located.

Just for the record, folks in the "high desert" and other points west have just started reporting a number of Quad sightings (but remember that for them it's much earlier in the evening).

Though I didn't see any meteors this morning, there is almost always an upside to stargazing, and last night was no exception. Early in the evening, the stars were clear and brilliant, with Jupiter high in the sky and Orion on full display, and this morning (before dawn) the Big Dipper was close to straight overhead, and the snowscape all around was beautifully lit by the moon. But I won't lie - it was COLD. My weather station outdoor temperature registered a frosty -1°F. Bundle up!