There is a small and welcome display of meteors to begin the New Year. The Quadrantids meteor shower takes place in the wee hours of Thursday morning. The best time is around 3 a.m. and this shower is relatively short. The shower's radiant is under the Big Dipper rising in the Northeastern sky after midnight. While it is not a common shower, the next shower isn't for months, until April's Lyrid meteor shower. So, by default the Quadrantids has some degree of popularity among those who enjoy seeing shooting stars crossing the sky.

If you are looking for something in the sky mindful of the Christmas Star you'll need to get up early in the morning. The brighest planet in the sky, Venus, is high in the southeastern sky well before sunrise. Venus is in the zodiacal constellation Libra and it is well placed this winter for viewing any morning. Enjoy the moment now, for Venus will start appearing lower and lower in the eastern sky each morning ahead.

Venus is getting farther from us and it is only slightly going to get fainter. By May, the planet will be so low in the east to be difficult to spot before sunup.

On Sunday night the distant planet Saturn appears close to the setting waxing crescent moon. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Aquarius and you can't miss Saturn for it is the brightest celestial object nearest to the moon. You can see the moon the night before in the zodiacl constellation Capricornus, closer to the western horizon. These two constellations, Aquarius and Capricornus close out the season of autumn.

The biggest meteor shower of the year will take place next Wednesday night. The Geminid meteor shower will be a wonderful way to close out the year with the best display. The moon will not interfere. As long as skies remain clear late into the evening, observers can expect to spot meteors, shooting stars crossing the sky fairly frequently. While most are familiar with the August Perseid Shower for its size and familiarity, the Geminid shower is better. The challenge with this shower is the temperature outside.

The moon will continue to dominate our evening skies over the weekend. The waning gibbous moon moves through the constellations of winter. Tonight the moon is in the zodiacal constellation Gemini. This moon is one day short of being the highest moon in its month long orbit around the Earth. Though past full moon, this one still commands attention.

Tomorrow night's gibbous moon appears near the bright planet Jupiter. The two will appear low in the eastern sky soon after sunset but soon gain height as the evening progresses. The two are beneath the zodiacal constellation Aries.

One of the favorite and small meteor showers of the season takes place in the wee hours of Ssaturday morning. Step outside after midnight tomorrow morning for a fairly nice show. Bundle up, get a hot cup of chocolate and sit in one of your summer easy beach chairs. You may see upwards of 15 meteors in an hour of viewing, though that seems optimistic.

The shower is named for the constellation Leo, where the meteors appear to originate. The constellation doesn't rise until well after midnight but you can see a meteor in the dark any time.

An initiative to build a $3.5 million dormitory for summer employees at the airport is at least two years away from completion. Members of a committee looking at the feasibility of a complex said there is much work to do, but support is widespread.

You got to love the crisp, clear nights of autumn. Now that we are in the time of Standard Time, and put Daylight Savings time away, we get an early dose of evening. Trips home from work are dark.

Step outside before the dinner hour and the brightest of stars are already overhead. To those who wait a little longer, the Milky Way is an easy find.

The Milky Way extends overhead and across the sky, rising in the northeast and passing overhead, then descending down to the southwestern horizon.

The first of two Taurid meteor showers is taking place this weekend. This meteor shower is one of the small ones we go through each year. You could see upwards of ten meteors shooting across the sky at night. The viewing is better late in the night. The meteors appear to come from the constellation Taurus, thus its name Taurids. Taurus is rising in the east after sunset. So watch the shower late in the evening when the constellation is higher. The shower is space debris caught in the orbit of Comet Encke.