Star Gazing: There's An 'App' For That

Braving the bitter cold, dozens of star watchers gathered Monday night at Fort Totten in Bayside to enjoy a celestial light show courtesy of the Quadrantids meteor shower.

"Shooting Stars," an event hosted by the Urban Park Rangers, offered New Yorkers a chance to spend the night learning about the infinite nature of the universe as they waited for the Qandrantids meteor shower to begin. 

Ranger Eric Handy, an Urban Park Ranger at Fort Totten, led the group on their mission to witness the first meteor shower of the year. 

"Right near where Ursa Major meets the constellation Draco, down to the horizon is where we will see the meteor shower," Handy said, pointing north towards the Big Dipper with a celestial map in one hand and his iPhone in the other. "Basically right underneath the handle of the Dipper to where the houses across the bay begin." 

The Quadrantids, which get their name from Quadrans Mulralis, an obsolete constellation, emanates in the region between Boötes and the Big Dipper — and according to Handy, while the shower occurs every year between Dec. 28 to Jan. 7, the peak of this storm fell between 8 p.m. on Jan. 3 until 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 4.

The spectators at Fort Totten joined many others with their eyes trained on the sky throughout the Northern Hemisphere Monday night.

"The beginning of January is an exciting time actually for meteor watchers," said Gary Kronk, author of the Cometography series of books, which catalog the history of comets. "And the night of Jan. 3 to the early morning of the 4th provide us with the strongest meteor shower of the year."  

Kronk went on to add that at its peak, the Quadtrantids produces meteors at a rate of 100 to 140 per hour.

"It's  incredible," Kronk said. "Though if you're not at the right place at the right time, the display will be somewhat disappointing."

But some of the people gathered last night were simply there to enjoy a night out.

"We saw the announcement for this event on the Parks Department Web site and thought, 'What a great way to spend the first Monday of the year,'" said Carole Loahmer, joined by her husband, Richard.

Still there was a buzz in the air last night as excited amateur astronomers looked towards the sky waiting for their chance to see some falling stars.

John Horun, an amateur astronomer who led the event in previous years, couldn't wait for the show to begin.

"It may be a bit cold tonight, but other than that the condition are ideal," Horun said. "No clouds in the sky, the air is clean, and there's a new moon tonight, which means a lot less light in the atmosphere."