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(meteorobs) NAMN Target Shower: October 1996
The NAMN target shower for October is the Orionids. Although the morning of peak
activity will be hampered somewhat by moonlight, activity from this shower
may be seen throughout most of the month which insures some periods of
moon-free observing. The Orionids are active October 2 to November 7 and
reach maximum activity on October 21 from a radiant of 095 +16. But the
shower is known to exhibit several submaxima which may occur anytime between
October 20-24.
The Orionids are the incoming (pre-perihelion) particles from Halley's comet
with a velocity of 66 km/s. As with other cometary showers of high velocity,
observers should watch for substantial train production by the Orionids. The
highest hourly rates are near 20 under good conditions. Most Orionid meteors
are faint and therefore difficult to photograph.
Observations should be made after midnight in order to allow the radiant
time to rise to a sufficient height above the horizon. During the period
October 14-27, observers should be aware of the minor shower Epsilon
Geminids that will be active, and not confuse the two since meteors from
both showers will have similar velocities. As with other times when more
than one radiant is active, choose a field center that prevents the backward
prolongation of a possible shower meteor from crossing both radiants. In
this case, probably the best field of view is to the west of the Orionid
radiant.
The radiant positions for the Orionids are:
Oct 05 85 +14 Oct 25 98 +16
Oct 10 88 +15 Oct 30 101 +16
Oct 15 91 +15 Nov 05 105 +17
Oct 20 94 +16
The showers active during the month of October, and their three-letter code
include:
Delta Aurigids (DAU) Sep 05-Oct 10
Draconids (GIA) Oct 06-Oct 10 (a periodic shower)
Epsilon Geminids (EGE) Oct 14-Oct 27
Orionids (ORI) Oct 02-Nov 07
Southern Taurids (STA) Oct 01-Nov 25
Northern Taurids (NTA) Oct 01-Nov 25
For more information on the above showers, consult the NAMN Guide or contact me
directly at the address below.
Mark Davis
NAMN Coordinator
MeteorObs@charlestondot net
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