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(meteorobs) 1997 Eta Aquarids
The 1997 Eta Aquarids
Just as the Lyrid activity dwindles, the Eta Aquarids begin to show signs of
life...though rather weakly. The Eta Aquarids are the
outbound(post-perihelion) particles of Halley's comet. This shower is active
from April 19-May28 with a broad maximum occuring from May 2 thru May 10. May
6 is the designated peak, but for 1997 it will occur on the night of May 4/5
at 22h UT. There will be a new moon on May 6th, so this will be a good year
for observations at it's best. This shower is not well seen from the Northern
Hemisphere due to the low radiant altitude. For latitudes around 33 deg
North, I recommend observations to begin near 2h30m local time. You may see
anywhere between 15-25 actual meteors/hour from a dark location. An observer
from tropical latitudes may see nearly 40/hour. If you are near 50 deg North
latitude, you will probably see none or just a trickle. From the Southern
Hemisphere, the Eta Aquarids are by far the strongest annual shower with a
ZHR of 60. One of my favorite aspects about the Eta Aquarids is that due to
the low radiant, I frequently will see shower members cover long distances
across the sky. They look like long streamers (because of their trains) at a
New Years Eve party. With the frequent trains and a medium average magnitude,
this shower shouldn't be too difficult to photograph. I would expect a 50mm
and a 28mm lens to be about equally successful. If you are using a fast 50mm
lens...such as at f/1.4 or 1.8...stop down a little to around f/2.0. This
will give you sharper star images...particularly if your camera is guided.
Aim your camera towards the radiant, but above it. Be sure to record camera
start/stop times and meteor appearance times as close to the exact second as
possible.
Details: 1997 max: May 4/5 at 22h UT: ZHR: 60; Vel: 65km/s (Very Fast);
Duration: Apr 19-May 28; Population Index: 2.7; Radiant Diameter: 4 degrees;
Train Production: 41%; Radiant: RA 22h36m, Dec. -22; Three Letter Shower
Code: ETA
George Zay
La Mesa, Calif.
32 North
116 West