Shattered comet sparks weekend meteor shower

Source - Space Weather News for Jan. 3, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

QUADRANTID METEOR SHOWER:  Earth is about to pass through a narrow stream of debris from shattered comet 2003 EH1, source of the annual Quadrantid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Monday morning, Jan. 4th during the hours around 3 a.m. ET (0800 UT). The timing favors observers in North America who could see dozens of meteors per hour flowing from a radiant near the North Star. Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information.

GEOMAGNETIC STORM POSSIBLE ON JAN. 3-4:  NOAA analysts say a CME is heading toward Earth and could deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field during the next 24 hours. The impact is expected to spark minor to moderate geomagnetic storms on Jan. 3rd and 4th.  Aurora alerts are available from Spaceweathertext.com

Meteors from a Shattered Comet

Source - Space Weather News for Jan. 3, 2012: http://spaceweather.com

FIRST METEOR SHOWER OF 2012: The annual Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on Wednesday morning, Jan. 4th, when Earth passes through a narrow stream of debris from a comet thought to have broken apart some 500 years ago. The shower is expected to be strong (as many as 100 meteors per hour), but elusive, with a peak that lasts no longer than a couple of hours. The shower's radiant near Polaris favors observers in the northern hemisphere. Images, live audio from a meteor radar, and more information are available on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

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A Meteor Shower and a Solar Eclipse on the Same Day (Jan. 4)

Source - Space Weather News for Jan. 3, 2011: http://spaceweather.com

QUADRANTID METEOR SHOWER: Sky watchers in the northern hemisphere should be alert for meteors before sunrise on Tuesday, Jan. 4th. Earth is about to pass through a narrow stream of debris from shattered comet 2003 EH1, the parent of the annual Quadrantid meteor shower. Forecasters say the encounter could produce a fast flurry of 100 meteors per hour during the early hours of Jan. 4th. Details and observing tips may be found at http://spaceweather.com .

GOT CLOUDS? No problem. You can stay inside and listen to the Quadrantids. Tune into SpaceWeather Radio for live meteor echoes from the US Air Force Space Surveillance Radar in Texas: http://spaceweatherradio.com .

PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE: After the meteor shower, observers in Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia can witness a partial eclipse of the sun. In western Europe, as much as 86% of the solar disk will be covered by the Moon at dawn, producing a fantastic crescent sunrise on Jan. 4th. Check http://spaceweather.com for details, animated maps and live webcasts.

Sungrazing Comet Approaches Sun

Source - Space Weather News for Jan. 2, 2009: http://spaceweather.com

SUNGRAZING COMET: Today, a bright comet is approaching the sun for a perilous close encounter, and it probably will not survive. The comet was discovered by an amateur astronomer monitoring images from NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has a good view of the comet's approach and images are being posted on http://spaceweather.com.

FLYBY ALERT: The International Space Station is about to begin a series of bright flybys over North America. Your iPhone or iPod Touch can help you see the behemoth spacecraft when it passes overhead in the night sky. Visit http://simpleflybys.com for information about our newest app.

FIRST METEORS OF 2010: The annual Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on Jan. 3rd around 1900 UT (2 p.m. EST) when Earth passes through a stream of debris from shattered comet 2003 EH1. The timing of this northern shower favors observers in eastern Europe and Asia. Bright moonlight will interfere with the display, which can reach 100+ meteors per hour under ideal conditions.