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(meteorobs) Re: Phaethonids??? Wha....?

GeoZay@aol.com wrote:

> Meteor showers are named after the constellation that the radiant is 
> in during their peak. 

This is true in most cases but the official constellation boundaries 
adopted earlier this century actually displaced some radiants in 
adjacent constellations. See the Lyrids for example. The radiant 
actually lies in Hercules at the time of maximum activity.
 
> Also probably another major reason is that The source of the Geminids 
> has just recently been determined to be from asteroid 3200 Phaethon
> (In 1983). Folks are so use to calling them the correct name... the 
> Geminids, that anything else probably wouldn't catch on. 

Another way to put it is that the Geminids were well known before the 
source was discovered. The opposite was true for the Giacobinids/
Draconids. The source was known before the meteor displays occurred. 
It was more customary to honor folks with their own showers back then. 
Don't also forget the Pons-Winneckids (June Bootids) or the Grigg-
Skjellerupids (Pi Puppids). Hanging on to some tradition isn't a bad
idea and therefore another recent pseudodiscovery has been honored 
with his own shower: the "Halzyids" also known as the infamous 
Upsilon Pegasids discovered by Hal Povenmire. Who knows George, 
maybe someday a Zayid shower will be included in our list of radiants.

> The Giacobinids is the odd named shower to the best of my knowledge...
> and even then a lot of folks refer to them by their correct name the 
> Draconids.

I beg to differ here George! There is nothing incorrect about calling 
them the Giacobinids. They have been called this for 85 years. Only 
recently have they been labeled the Draconids (and there is nothing
incorrect with that either). Surely Mr. Rao would not have used the 
name Giacobinids in his Sky & Telescope article if the name is 
incorrect.

Bob
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