(meteorobs) Questions on september radiants

Karl Antier ka.antier at wanadoo.fr
Tue Jul 10 03:01:27 EDT 2007


Hi all meteor observers !

Here are a few questions...
Thank you in advance to all of you that'll take the time
to answer !
First, I read on Gary's Kronk webpages Meteor Showers Online,
that the alpha-Aurigids were probably linked to the comet
Kiess (1911 II), which has a nearly parabolic orbit. Has
anyone found an explanation to explain why outbursts always
occur, even 75 or 83 years after its passage to perihelion ?
How is it possible that a single comet passage give birth
to such a regularly active meteor shower ?
Second, according to the same source, delta-Aurigids (and I
guess, the newly named September Perseids) find maybe their
origin in comet Bradfield (1972 III). The website of the IMO
speaks of a possible complex of streams in Aries-Perseus-Aurigae-
Cassiopae. Can anyone tell me which streams are part of this 
complex ? Delta-Aurigids or alpha-Aurigids ? What are the 
coordinates of the suspected other showers that have been
observed once by the past, and never recovered since ? Does
anyone know what the source of this complex ? Comet Bradfield
or Kiess ?
And my last question for the moment deals with the Antihelion
radiant : what is it really due to ? I thought it was the
particles of the ecliptic that were at its origin ? Is it right ?
In that case, why does it seems to originate from the Antihelia
point ? Shouldn't it be slightly shifted due to the Earth rotation
or revolution around the Sun ? And has anyone ever observed visually
a meteor coming from the Helion source (earthgrazer, I imagine...) ?

Thank you for your answers !
Clear skies to all !
Karl


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