(meteorobs) Zodiacal Lights and peaks of Meteor showers?

[Richard Taibi]

Tom,

Your question about Zodiacal light and meteor showers has at least one 
historical connection.  At the time of the 1833 Leonid storm, there was also 
a good zodiacal display.  Because the storm was such a novelty and because 
the lights were prominent, Denison Olmsted became intrigued with the 
correlational possibilities.  His interest in the prominence of the zodiacal 
lights lasted many years after the 1833 storm and he reported, in the 
American Journal of Science, on the presence of the light during succeeding 
Leonid returns.  He eventually seemed to believe that it was because the 
Earth approached the lights in November, that the meteors appeared.  At that 
time, the 1830s and 40s, astronomers did not know about meteoroids being in 
cometary trails, and they were searching for any explanation for the shower, 
including the aurora.  It wasn't until the early 1860s that Giovanni 
Schiaparelli made the comet and meteor connection.

To respond to your question, I believe that there is no causal connection, 
it's just a chance correlation, although a visually compelling one!  Meteors 
come from comet debris trails that intersect earth's orbit, and the zodiacal 
light, I believe, is composed of solar system debris, dust, close to the 
sun.

Rich

>From: Thomas Dorman <drygulch_99 at yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: Global Meteor Observing Forum <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
>To: meteorobs at meteorobs.org
>Subject: (meteorobs) Zodiacal Lights  and peaks of Meteor showers?
>Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 04:27:40 -0800 (PST)
>
>Hi.All
>Out here in far west Texas on Sunday morning we had an
>unusual bright display of Zodiacal lights.I live in a
>moderately light polluted area and the Zodiacal lights
>were so bright on Sunday morning November 19 that they
>punched through the light dome in my area.This display
>of bright Zodiacal lights was also observed by members
>of the El Paso Astronomy club about 50 miles to my
>east at our club's dark sky site at Williams ranch.The
>El Paso Astronomy Club's dark sky site is one the best
>dark sky sites in the U.S..My questions are is there a
>correlation between the brightening of the Zodiacal
>lights and the peak of a major meteor shower? Zodiacal
>lights on the morning November 19 also had a
>pronounced green hue.Is this green hue a common
>observed effect with the Zodiacal lights?I can't
>remember ever seeing a green color with the Zodiacal
>lights.Hope this is not to off topic.
>Regards
>Thomas Dorman
>Horizon City,Texas
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