Isles in good spot for viewing the year’s first shooting stars

The Quadrantid meteor shower, the first meteor shower of 2017, happens in the hours before dawn on Jan. 3.

The streaks of the Quadrantids shower appear to come from the constellation of Bootes the Herdsman, in the northeast. The shower’s name comes from “Quadrant Muralis,” or “Mural Quadrant” (an astronomical tool), which is a now-obsolete name for a part of the sky that now belongs to the constellation of Bootes.

The Quadrantids have a sharp, short peak, lasting only a few hours. This is in contrast to some of the other, more famous annual showers, such as the Perseids, where the shower’s peak can last for two days.

That said, given this short peak, Hawaii is in an excellent position to catch this 2017 shower. The Quadrantid shower’s peak — that is, the time when we expect the maximum amount of asteroid debris to hit our atmosphere and burn up — is expected around 4 a.m. Jan. 3 Hawaii Standard Time. (In other words, stay up late on Jan. 2 and into the very early hours of Jan. 3.)

This is good news for us, because it means that the shower will peak in the early morning hours, which is always the “sweet spot” for shooting star showers. These repeating annual showers are caused as the earth passes through debris left over from a specific comet (or, in the case of the Quadrantids, an asteroid, 2003 EH). As the earth goes around the sun, our planet runs into the same debris at the same time each year. After midnight, the part of the earth that you are on is facing the debris that causes the meteor shower.

The final positive factor in hoping for a good shower in Hawaii: The moon, that great foe of meteor-viewing, will have set well before the peak of the shower on Jan. 3.

To view the shower, scan the eastern skies; the general area around the handle of the Big Dipper is a good place to focus. Make sure you are comfortable; a lawn chair is helpful. The less light in your local sky, the better the viewing will be.

Viewing of the Quadrantids may also be good in the predawn hours of Jan. 4. But because of that short peak of the Quadrantids, your best viewing will probably be those predawn hours on Jan. 3.

Planets in January

As it has done since August, Venus continues its role as a blazing beacon in the western sky at dusk in January. In fact, this current appearance of Venus provides the planet’s best evening viewing in five years. The year starts with the lovely sight of Venus and a slender crescent moon together at dusk in the west on Jan. 1. Look west that night starting about 6:45 p.m.; the moon will be just below the brilliant Venus, both about one-third of the way up in the west. The moon and Venus set around 9:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day.

Throughout January, Venus continues to appear about one-third of the way up in the western sky as it gets dark, and continues to set around 9:30 p.m. At the start of January, Venus shines at minus 4.34 magnitude, far brighter than any other sky dot; by the month’s end, it blazes at minus 4.5.

While the moon moves away from Venus quickly after Jan. 1, the planet Mars hangs above Venus in the west throughout the month. In early January, Mars is about 10 degrees above Venus, which is about the width of your palm at arm’s length. At the end of the month, the apparent distance between Venus and Mars will be cut in half, to five degrees, or a little less than three fingers at arm’s length.

Mars continues to fade in brightness as the earth, on its faster track around the sun, pulls away from it. The planet hovers at first magnitude, but is about 100 times dimmer than Venus below it. Mars looks like a pale, amber-colored speck. Just as Venus sets around 9:30 p.m. all month, Mars sets at 10 p.m.

Look for the slender crescent moon next to Mars on Jan. 2, the night after the moon visits Venus; and again on Jan. 31.

Jupiter, which has brightened the predawn skies for the last few months, rises in the east at 1:15 a.m. in early January and by 11:30 p.m. at the end of the month. The planet, which appears distinctly white, shines at minus 2 magnitude, brighter than any dot except Venus. Throughout January, look for Jupiter high in the southwest by daybreak.

Saturn rises in the east about 5:30 a.m. in early January and is about a palm’s width above the horizon at daybreak. By end of month, the ringed planet comes up at 4 a.m. and is one-third of the way up in the west at dawn. The planet shines at 0.5, as bright as a good bright star, and has a distinctive yellow-white hue. Look for a slender waning crescent moon next to Saturn early on Jan. 24.

From about Jan. 10 to the end of the month, Mercury rises at 5:45 a.m. and still huddles low in the east when day breaks about 45 minutes later. It shines at zero magnitude earlier in the month; during the last half of January, when it goes to minus 0.2, it should easier to spot in the predawn light.

Southern Cross returns

The Southern Cross, or Crux, missing as always from our skies from July through November, has returned to our morning sky. This compact Roman cross of a constellation rises in the south-southwest at 4 a.m. in early January and is due south at daybreak. By the end of the month Crux rises at 2 a.m., is due south at 4 a.m. and sets at dawn. The constellation hugs the south horizon during its five-hour passage in the islands.