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(meteorobs) Perseids vs Leonids
Michelle makes a great point, folks: Meteor Season 1999 is upon us! :)))
Folks from a variety of organizations will soon be posting messages on our list
about the many upcoming Major and Minor Meteor Showers. But suffice it to say
here that the Perseid Meteor Shower will begin to show itself in mid-July, and
will reach a crescendo of tens of meteors per hour by August 11, 12 and 13!
(Leading up to the first meager Perseid activity in mid-July are a pair of very
minor but very exciting showers - one each for Northern and Southern Hemisphere
observers: the July Pegasids reach their brief, "plotters only" peak on July 10,
while the far-southern July Phoenicids peak 3 days later.)
In addition, a host of "minor" showers will be racing on the coattails of the
mighty Perseids, including the Alpha Capricornids, North and South Delta
Aquarids, North and South Iota Aquarids, Piscis Austrinids and ephemeral Kappa
Cygnids! The peaks of some of these showers are sadly lost to bright moonlight
during late July, but their activity will be felt (and will require observation
by the dedicated observers of our list!) throughout the Summer.
(Picking up the slack following the fall-off of the Perseids in late August, the
complex and possibly related Alpha Aurigid and Delta Aurigid radiants, as well
as the sparser Piscids, will fill dark skies with their intermittent flashes
throughout September. From there, observers begin to prepare for the Orionids
and the lesser but brighter North and South Taurids of October-November.)
In the end, though, no one on Earth can say for sure whether the Perseids of
August will measure up to the two other *truly Major showers* we all eagerly
anticipate: the possibly stormy and always fascinating Leonids in mid-November,
and the "Old Faithful" of showers, the sparkling Geminids of mid-December!
Truly an exciting half-year of meteors lies ahead, for those of us with the
knowledge and the patience to watch the night sky for shooting stars...
Clear skies all!
Lew Gramer
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