As far as the meteor showers are concerned the year starts with an above average Quadrantids, unfortunately the nearly full moon will block out most of the show. Quadrantids will peak this year on the night of January 3rd and the morning of 4th.

Brilliant comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), the fifth comet discovered by Australian astronomer Terry Lovejoy, is expected to reach its brightest on January 10. It will make its closest approach to the Sun on January 30, at a distance of 1.29 AU.

• January 2 - M41 is well placed for observation. The open star cluster M41 (NGC 2287) in Canis Major will be well placed for observation. It will reach its highest point in the sky at around midnight local time. At a declination of -20°43', it is easiest to see from the southern hemisphere and cannot be seen from latitudes much north of 49°N.

• January 3, 4 - Quadrantids meteor shower. The Quadrantids are thought to be produced by dust grains left behind by an extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, which was discovered in 2003. This is an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak....

A new study is helping to answer a longstanding question that has recently moved to the forefront of earth science: Did our planet make its own water through geologic processes, or did water come to us via icy comets from the far reaches of the solar system?

The answer is likely “both,” according to researchers at The Ohio State University - and the same amount of water that currently fills the Pacific Ocean could be buried deep inside the planet right now.

At the American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting on Wednesday, December 17, they report the discovery of a previously unknown geochemical pathway by which the Earth can sequester water in its interior for billions of years and still release small amounts to the surface via plate tectonics, feeding our oceans from within.

In trying to understand the formation of the early Earth, some researchers have suggested that the planet was dry and inhospitable to life until icy comets pelted the earth and deposited water on the surface.

Japanese Asosan volcano experienced a new eruption at 01:33 UTC on December 23, 2014. Tokyo VAAC reported volcanic ash cloud reached an altitude of 2.1 km (7 000 feet) and extended East. At 06:11 UTC it rose to approximately 2.3 km (8 000 feet) and was still extending East.

Asosan is a famous volcano for its largest caldera in the world. It is located at the center of Kyushu, Japan, about 1 000 km WSW of Tokyo. More than 10 volcanic cones are distributed in the large caldera of 25 km in diameter. Among these, Nakadake frequently erupted in the form of Strombolian eruption within recorded history causing casualties in some cases, JMA explains.

Recently, JMA reported that, based on seismicity and infrasound data, the eruption from Asosan’s Nakadake Crater that began on November 25, 2014 continued during December 8 - 12; but inclement weather often prevented observations of the crater. A webcam recorded tephra being carried by high winds and deposited in an area 1 km W.

A major solar flare measuring X1.8 (R3-Strong Radio blackout) at its peak time erupted from Region 2242 ('beta-gamma-delta') at 00:28 UTC on December 20, 2014. The event started at 00:11 and ended at 00:55 UTC.

A Type II radio emission with an estimated velocity of 900 km/s was associated with the event. Type II emissions typically indicate a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is associated with a flare event.

A long duration 10cm radio burst lasting 52 minutes, with peak flux of 2300 sfu was also associated with the event.  A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. This noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications.

NASA satellite instruments have observed a marked increase in solar radiation absorbed in the Arctic since the year 2000 – a trend that aligns with the steady decrease in Arctic sea ice during the same period.

While sea ice is mostly white and reflects the sun’s rays, ocean water is dark and absorbs the sun’s energy at a higher rate. A decline in the region’s albedo – its reflectivity, in effect – has been a key concern among scientists since the summer Arctic sea ice cover began shrinking in recent decades. As more of the sun’s energy is absorbed by the climate system, it enhances ongoing warming in the region, which is more pronounced than anywhere else on the planet.

Norman Loeb of NASA's Langley Research Center said that since the year 2000, the rate of absorbed solar radiation in the Arctic in June, July and August has increased by five percent. The measurement is made by NASA’s Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments, which fly on multiple satellites.