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(meteorobs) Meteor Activity for the Week of January 7-13, 2000



The Quadrantid meteor shower has ended and so has strong rates for the
next five months. There are minor showers to fill this gap and
occasionally these minor showers will produce brilliant fireballs.
Sporadic activity is also beginning to wane and one can expect to see
8-10 sporadic (random) meteors per hour this time of year between
midnight and dawn from rural locations.

The moon, which just passed its new phase, is now entering the evening
sky and will not be a concern to meteor watchers this week.

The first shower of the night one can watch this week would be the Delta
Cancrids.This radiant is currently located at 8:00 +21 which is on the
Gemini-Cancer border, halfway between the bright star Pollux and the
"Beehive" star cluster. This area of the sky rises near 1800 local time
and is best placed for observing near 0100 when it lies high in the
southern skies. Delta Cancrid meteors are of medium-slow velocity and
often produce fireballs. You can expect to see perhaps 1-2 of 
these meteors each hour this time of year. I happened to catch two of
these meteors while casually watching the Quadrantids this past week.
Both of them were distinctly yellow with magnitudes -1 and -3.

The Coma Berenicids also continue their weak activity. The radiant is
currently located at 12:52 +17 which places it on the Coma-Virgo border
a few degrees west of the 3rd magnitude star Vindemiatrix (Epsilon
Virginis). This radiant does not rise until 2300 local time so one must
wait until the early morning hours for any hope of seeing any activity
from this radiant. The Coma Berenicids are very swift meteors which may
produce 1-2 shower members per hour during the last few hours before
dawn.

Observers in the Southern Hemisphere have two radiants to follow this
week. The Gamma Velids continue to produce weak activity from a radiant
near 8:38 -49, which is just east of the bright star Al Suhail. The
Alpha Crucids are also now becoming active from a radiant near 12:15 
-61, which is in the southwest corner of the constellation Crux the
Cross. Both of these displays are best placed for post midnight
observing which should be a bit more inviting considering it is 
summertime south of the equator. Even if the southern meteor activity is
slow, this portion of the sky is magnificent with the southern Milky Way
and many naked eye star clusters for the eye to feast upon.

Clear Skies!

Robert Lunsford
AMS Visual Coordinator
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