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(meteorobs) Meteor Activity Outlook for April 21-27, 2000
Meteor Activity Outlook
April 21-27 , 2000
The Lyrid meteor shower is now active and will peak on Friday and
Saturday mornings, depending on your location. The predicted time of
maximum activity is at 22:20 Universal Time on April 21. This
corresponds to 6:20 pm EDT and 3:20 pm PDT on Friday afternoon the 21st.
With maximum activity occurring during the afternoon in North America
both Friday morning the 21st and Saturday morning the 22nd may provide
similar rates. I would suspect that Saturday morning may be slightly
better since the moon will be slightly dimmer, but still a huge source
of interference. I would definitely face north to northeast with the
moon at my back to try and see any activity from the Lyrids. I would
doubt that Lyrids rates would exceed 10 per hour this year with such
conditions . The best chance of seeing any Lyrid activity would be
during the last two hours before dawn wherever you live. The Lyrids are
normally fairly swift but limiting your field of view to the north or
eastern portion of the sky will only allow you to see those meteor
occurring close to the radiant. Therefore these Lyrids will tend to be
slower than your average meteor. On Saturday morning the radiant will
lie in eastern Hercules at 18:04 +34. This is roughly 10 degrees
southwest of the brilliant blue-white star Vega, which is the highlight
of the constellation Lyra. The Lyrid radiant moves eastward
approximately one degree per day. Later in the week it will actually
enter the constellation boundaries of Lyra. Unfortunately by then the
rates will have fallen off to 1-2 per night. For more information on the
Lyrids check the NASA Science News web site located at:
http://science.nasadot gov/headlines/y2000/ast18apr_1m.htm
With the moon now past full there are a few hours after dusk when some
observing can be attempted. One may wish to see if there is any activity
from the antiapex radiant which lies 90 degrees east of the sun. On
Saturday evening this radiant is located at 8:21 +19 which is in the
constellation of Cancer. This radiant also moves approximately 1 degree
eastward per day. The radiant is not sharp, but rather a large area so
any slow meteor from Cancer would most likely belong to this shower. The
best time to view this activity would be as soon as it gets completely
dark and before the moon rises. These meteors are seldom reported but
this may be due to the lack of observers at this hour.
The antihelion radiant is becoming better situated as the moon moves
further eastward. It rises shortly after dusk and is best seen as it
climbs higher into the southeastern sky before moonrise. On Saturday
evening the center of this large radiant lies near 14:44 -16, which is
close to the 3rd magnitude star Zubenelgenubi (I love that name!)
located in western Libra. Any slow meteor from this general region
should be considered a member of this shower. As with the two previously
mentioned radiants, the center of this radiant drifts one degree
eastward per day so it will quickly drift though the small constellation
of Libra, after being in Virgo for 6 weeks.
The apex radiant is located in western Capricornus at 20:16 -20 on
Saturday morning. This area of the sky will not rise until 2 am local
daylight time so the moon will be high in the sky by the the time it
rises. This will prevent a majority of the activity from being seen.
This radiant will be more favorably seen later in the month as the moon
passes last quarter.
Another major annual shower is warming up in the late morning sky. The
Earth is just now beginning to encounter debris from Halley's Comet
which produces the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. We are still two weeks
away from this shower's maximum so rates will be weak, especially with
the bright moonlight in the morning sky. On Saturday morning the radiant
will be located at 21:50 -7, which is in central Aquarius. These meteors
are much more swift than the Lyrids and also possess a higher percentage
of persistent trains. This shower will become the main focus for the
last week of April and during most of May. Stay tuned!!!
Finally the sporadic rates will suffer as a result of the bright moon. I
would expect to see 3-4 sporadic meteors during the moon free evening
hours and perhaps 5-6 during the morning hours. These rates will
increase as the moon wanes.
Clear Skies!
Robert Lunsford
ALPO Meteor Section Coordinator
April 21-27 , 2000
The Lyrid meteor shower is now active and will peak on Friday and
Saturday mornings, depending on your location. The predicted time of
maximum activity is at 22:20 Universal Time on April 21. This
corresponds to 6:20 pm EDT and 3:20 pm PDT on Friday afternoon the 21st.
With maximum activity occurring during the afternoon in North America
both Friday morning the 21st and Saturday morning the 22nd may provide
similar rates. I would suspect that Saturday morning may be slightly
better since the moon will be slightly dimmer, but still a huge source
of interference. I would definitely face north to northeast with the
moon at my back to try and see any activity from the Lyrids. I would
doubt that Lyrids rates would exceed 10 per hour this year with such
conditions . The best chance of seeing any Lyrid activity would be
during the last two hours before dawn wherever you live. The Lyrids are
normally fairly swift but limiting your field of view to the north or
eastern portion of the sky will only allow you to see those meteor
occurring close to the radiant. Therefore these Lyrids will tend to be
slower than your average meteor. On Saturday morning the radiant will
lie in eastern Hercules at 18:04 +34. This is roughly 10 degrees
southwest of the brilliant blue-white star Vega, which is the highlight
of the constellation Lyra. The Lyrid radiant moves eastward
approximately one degree per day. Later in the week it will actually
enter the constellation boundaries of Lyra. Unfortunately by then the
rates will have fallen off to 1-2 per night. For more information on the
Lyrids check the NASA Science News web site located at:
http://science.nasadot gov/headlines/y2000/ast18apr_1m.htm
With the moon now past full there are a few hours after dusk when some
observing can be attempted. One may wish to see if there is any activity
from the antiapex radiant which lies 90 degrees east of the sun. On
Saturday evening this radiant is located at 8:21 +19 which is in the
constellation of Cancer. This radiant also moves approximately 1 degree
eastward per day. The radiant is not sharp, but rather a large area so
any slow meteor from Cancer would most likely belong to this shower. The
best time to view this activity would be as soon as it gets completely
dark and before the moon rises. These meteors are seldom reported but
this may be due to the lack of observers at this hour.
The antihelion radiant is becoming better situated as the moon moves
further eastward. It rises shortly after dusk and is best seen as it
climbs higher into the southeastern sky before moonrise. On Saturday
evening the center of this large radiant lies near 14:44 -16, which is
close to the 3rd magnitude star Zubenelgenubi (I love that name!)
located in western Libra. Any slow meteor from this general region
should be considered a member of this shower. As with the two previously
mentioned radiants, the center of this radiant drifts one degree
eastward per day so it will quickly drift though the small constellation
of Libra, after being in Virgo for 6 weeks.
The apex radiant is located in western Capricornus at 20:16 -20 on
Saturday morning. This area of the sky will not rise until 2 am local
daylight time so the moon will be high in the sky by the the time it
rises. This will prevent a majority of the activity from being seen.
This radiant will be more favorably seen later in the month as the moon
passes last quarter.
Another major annual shower is warming up in the late morning sky. The
Earth is just now beginning to encounter debris from Halley's Comet
which produces the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. We are still two weeks
away from this shower's maximum so rates will be weak, especially with
the bright moonlight in the morning sky. On Saturday morning the radiant
will be located at 21:50 -7, which is in central Aquarius. These meteors
are much more swift than the Lyrids and also possess a higher percentage
of persistent trains. This shower will become the main focus for the
last week of April and during most of May. Stay tuned!!!
Finally the sporadic rates will suffer as a result of the bright moon. I
would expect to see 3-4 sporadic meteors during the moon free evening
hours and perhaps 5-6 during the morning hours. These rates will
increase as the moon wanes.
Clear Skies!
Robert Lunsford
AMS Visual Program Coordinator
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