Meteor Activity Outlook for January 7-13, 2012

During this period the moon reaches it full phase on Monday January 9th. At this
time the moon will be located opposite the sun and will be above the horizon the
entire night. This is the worst time to try and view meteor activity as the
glare from the bright moon will obscure all but the brightest meteors. As the
week progresses a small window of dark skies is available between the end of
evening twilight and moonrise. Unfortunately this is the worst time of night to
try and view meteor activity as rates will only be a couple of meteors per hour.
Conditions improve next week as the moon passes its last quarter phase. The
estimated total hourly rates for evening observers this week is near one no
matter your location. For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates
should be near five as seen from mid-northern latitudes and three from
mid-southern latitudes. The actual rates will also depend on factors such as
personal light and motion perception, local weather conditions, alertness and
experience in watching meteor activity. Rates this week are
reduced due to moonlight.

The radiant (the area of the sky where meteors appear to shoot from) positions
and rates listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning January 7/8.
These positions do not change greatly day to day so the listed coordinates may
be used during this entire period. Most star atlases (available at science
stores and planetariums) will provide maps with grid lines of the celestial
coordinates so that you may find out exactly where these positions are located
in the sky. A planisphere or computer planetarium program is also useful in
showing the sky at any time of night on any date of the year. Activity from each
radiant is best seen when it is positioned highest in the sky, either due north
or south along the meridian, depending on your latitude. It must be remembered
that meteor activity is rarely seen at the radiant position. Rather they shoot
outwards from the radiant so it is best to center your field of view so that the
radiant lies at the edge and not the center. Viewing there will allow you to easily trace the path of each meteor back to the
radiant (if it is a shower member) or in another direction if it is a sporadic.
Meteor activity is not seen from radiants that are located below the horizon.
The positions below are listed in a west to east manner in order of right
ascension (celestial longitude). The positions listed first are located further
west therefore are accessible earlier in the night while those listed further
down the list rise later in the night.

The list below presents a condensed version of the expected activity this week.
Rates and positions are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning. Detailed descriptions of each shower will continue next week when observing conditions improve.