(meteorobs) Meteor Activity Outlook for September 18-24, 2010

[Richard Kramer]

Robert,

As always, your weekly posting is much appreciated.

I noticed that you seem to have changed your email client a while 
back. You emails have been including extra <enter> (new line) 
characters within the paragraphs. Probably whatever you are using for 
composing your outgoing emails is inserting explicit end-of-line 
characters at the end of each line on your screen. So when people 
open your email and view it with a different number of characters per 
line, it is a bit of a mess (see below for an example of what I am seeing).

Perhaps there is an option in your composer which allows you to turn 
off the extra line feeds? Or perhaps you could compose the emails a 
different way which wouldn't have this problem.

Regards,
Richard


At 06:39 PM 9/16/2010, you wrote:
>September offers longer nights in the northern hemisphere that tend 
>to be less hazy than those experienced in mid-summer. In the
>sky, no major showers are visible from either hemisphere but the 
>northern hemisphere enjoys the advantage of higher sporadic rates.
>Most of the shower activity this month is produced from the 
>Perseus-Aurigid complex active this time of year. These showers rarely
>produce more than five meteors per hour but still manage to produce 
>most of the shower activity seen this month. Unfortunately the
>Perseus-Aurigid complex lies too low in the northern sky for 
>southern hemisphere observers to view very well. Video studies have
>shown that the Southern Taurids are visible as early as September 
>7th therefore after this date the Antihelion radiant will no
>longer be listed until the Taurid showers end in December. The 
>Antihelion meteors are still active but their radiant is superimposed
>upon that of the more numerous Taurids, therefore it is impossible 
>to properly separate these meteors. Observers in the southern
>hemisphere suffer from some of their lowest rates of the year this 
>month. The Southern Taurid radiant is not too badly placed so
>observers south can expect to see a little of this activity this month.
>
>During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Thursday 
>September 23rd. At this time the moon will be located opposite the
>sun and will rise as the sun sets and sets as the sun rises. This 
>weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set during the early morning
>hours and will allow a short window of opportunity between moonset 
>and morning twilight to view meteor activity under dark
>conditions. The estimated total hourly rates for evening observers 
>this week is near two from the northern hemisphere and one for
>observers south of the equator. For morning observers the estimated 
>total hourly rates should be near sixteen from the northern
>hemisphere and six as seen from the southern hemisphere. The actual 
>rates will also depend on factors such as personal light and
>motion perception, local weather conditions, alertness and 
>experience in watching meteor activity. Evening rates are reduced this
>week due to moonlight.
>
>The radiant (the area of the sky where meteors appear to shoot from) 
>positions and rates listed below are exact for Saturday
>night/Sunday morning September 18/19. These positions do not change 
>greatly day to day so the listed coordinates may be used during
>this entire period. Most star atlases (available at science stores 
>and planetariums) will provide maps with grid lines of the
>celestial coordinates so that you may find out exactly where these 
>positions are located in the sky. A planisphere or computer
>planetarium program is also useful in showing the sky at any time of 
>night on any date of the year. Activity from each radiant is
>best seen when it is positioned highest in the sky, either due north 
>or south along the meridian, depending on your latitude. It
>must be remembered that meteor activity is rarely seen at the 
>radiant position. Rather they shoot outwards from the radiant so it is
>best to center your field of view so that the radiant lies at the 
>edge and not the center. Viewing there will allow you to easily
>trace the path of each meteor back to the radiant (if it is a shower 
>member) or in another direction if it is a sporadic. Meteor
>activity is not seen from radiants that are located below the 
>horizon. The positions below are listed in a west to east manner in
>order of right ascension (celestial longitude). The positions listed 
>first are located further west therefore are accessible earlier
>in the night while those listed further down the list rise later in the night.
>
>The following showers are expected to be active this week:
>
>The center of the large Southern Taurid (STA) radiant lies at 00:56 
>(014) +05. This position lies in southern Pisces, three degrees
>southeast of the fourth magnitude star Delta Piscium. Since the 
>radiant is so large, any meteor from Pisces, western Cetus, or
>southwestern Pegasus could be a candidate for this shower. The 
>radiant is best placed near the meridian near 0200 LDT, but activity
>may be seen all night long. Striking the atmosphere at 29 km/sec., 
>the average Southern Taurid meteor travels slowly through the
>skies. Rates this week should be near two per hour no matter your location.
>
>Many radiants in the region of Eridanus and Orion have been 
>suspected this time of year. Recent studies have verified a radiant
>active in Eridanus and moving on into Orion from September 3rd 
>through the 24th with maximum activity occurring on the 6th. The Nu
>Eridanid (NUE) radiant is currently located at 05:00 (075) +06. This 
>position lies in western Orion, five degrees west of the second
>magnitude star Bellatrix (Gamma Orionis). Old time observers may 
>recall a radiant active in Orion this time of year called the Sigma
>Orionids. This may be a verification of that activity. The radiant 
>is best placed near 0500 LDT, when it lies highest above the
>horizon in a dark sky. Rates should less than one per hour this 
>week. With an entry velocity of 68 km/sec., most activity from this
>radiant would be swift. With the radiant lying close to the 
>celestial equator, these meteors are seen equally well from both
>hemispheres.
>
>As seen from the mid-northern hemisphere (45N) one would expect to 
>see approximately fourteen sporadic meteors per hour during the
>last hour before dawn as seen from rural observing sites. Evening 
>rates would be near two per hour. As seen from the mid-southern
>hemisphere (45S), morning rates would be near four per hour as seen 
>from rural observing sites and one per hour during the evening
>hours. Locations between these two extremes would see activity 
>between the listed figures. Evening rates are reduced due to
>moonlight.
>
>The table below presents a condensed version of the expected 
>activity this week. Rates and positions are exact for Saturday
>night/Sunday morning.
>
>Southern Taurids (STA) - 00:56 (014) +05   Velocity - 30km/sec.
>Northern Hemisphere - 2 per hr.   Southern Hemisphere - 2 per hr.
>
>Nu Eridanids (NUE) - 05:00 (075) +06   Velocity - 68km/sec.
>Northern Hemisphere - <1 per hr.   Southern Hemisphere - <1 per hr
>
>*For a detailed explanation on the different classes of meteor 
>showers and other astronomical terms, please visit:
>http://www.amsmeteors.org/showers.html#X2010
>
>Clear Skies!
>Robert Lunsford
>American Meteor Society
>
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