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(meteorobs) NAMN Notes: January 2001



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NAMN Notes: January 2001
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Introduction:

NAMN Notes is a monthly newsletter produced by the North American Meteor
Network, and is available both via email, and on the NAMN website at:
http://web.infoavedot net/~meteorobs

Contents:

1. NAMN 2001 - A New Direction!
2. Quadrantids...
3. Other January Showers...
4. Comets, MIR and Other Moving Objects...
5. Benefits of Joining the IMO...
6. An Astro Handbook for 2001...
7. Upcoming Meetings...
8. For more info...


1. NAMN 2001 - A New Direction!

Over the past six years, tremendous gains have been made in our efforts
to improve the reporting of meteor observations.  When the North
American Meteor Network (NAMN) first came on the scene in 1995, it was
common for meteor reports to be sent to one organization while missing
others, or to arrive at one group multiple times.  As someone who has
spent a considerable amount of time archiving meteor reports, I can
attest to the difficulty and extra burden this placed on those
responsible for that task.  At the same time, it opened the door for an
observer's efforts to get missed in the then, complex world of meteor
reporting.

That is 'ancient' history, and we are now in an age in which almost
everyone has access to computers, email and the internet.  This change
in technology, which we have exploited to the fullest, has made the
reporting of observations a simple matter.  All of the major meteor
groups have webpages or email addresses that allow an observer to submit
observations easily.  Up to the present time, all of the reports
received by NAMN have been archived locally, then forwarded to the
International Meteor Organization (IMO).  As we have seen most recently
from the wonderful Leonid circulars published by the IMO, they do an
excellent job of archiving data and publishing meteor results.  So, the
question that comes to mind is - with all of the improved reporting
available - is the maintenance of a local data archive by NAMN still
necessary once the meteor reports have been forwarded to the
International Meteor Organization?  It is my belief that it is not.

Over the past year there has been a decline in North American
observations.  Some of this may be the result of less media hype this
year as compared to 1999, but whatever the reason, this decline
indicates that there is a need for NAMN to spend more time on searching
out and helping new observers.

We have decided to redirect the full efforts of the North American
Meteor Network to the recruiting and training of new and inexperienced
observers - and to concentrate our activities on this education front.
Our goal will be to reach as many potential observers as possible, and
to provide them with the necessary guidance, training and materials to
begin submitting observations.  The storage of extensive archival data
and the publishing of highly detailed observational reports will be left
to the larger organizations such as the International Meteor
Organization.

I am unaware of any meteor group, anywhere in the world, devoted to the
single task of recruitment and training.  Anyone with an interest in
helping, or a skill to donate, is welcome to contact me at the address
below.  Are you adept at writing?  Web authoring?  Graphic arts?  Are
you a teacher with advice to give?  Willing to give talks or distribute
meteor literature at local schools and/or astronomy clubs?  Have a
suggestion, complaint, or question?  Contact me!  Training and
recruitment of new observers is not restricted to one continent!
Although NAMN is based in North America, I will soon be canvassing
meteor groups in other countries in hopes of creating joint educational
efforts.

So, how does this change in direction affect our current beginning
observers?  Well, as always, any observer, whether a NAMN member or not,
is invited to submit reports to us for review and comment.  This is an
excellent way to get a 'painless' introduction to meteor observing, and
seems to work pretty well as many of our 'graduates' can attest to.

How does this affect experienced observers who have been submitting
meteor reports to NAMN?  As a North American contact point for the
International Meteor Organization, I will continue to collect meteor
reports from observers, and forward these on to the IMO.  These duties
on behalf of the IMO are completely separate from NAMN, and as such,
will not be affected by the new educational direction that NAMN will be
taking.  This will ensure that the efforts of each observer continue to
be included in the IMO worldwide database, and that all observations
will be available for use in the studies undertaken by the IMO and other
groups.

We are looking forward to changes this coming year!  NAMN is once again
preparing to take the lead, and concentrate on a renewed program of
recruitment, training and education of observers.  I invite you to join
us - and help contribute to our astronomical hobby!

Mark Davis, MeteorObs@charlestondot net
Coordinator, North American Meteor Network


2. Quadrantids...

The Quadrantids (QUA), the highlight of January, reach a maximum on
January 3rd at 12h UT, with an estimated Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) of
about 120 meteors per hour.  This is the rate that would be visible
under a dark country sky if the radiant, the area in the sky where the
meteors seem to come from, is directly overhead.  For the Quadrantids,
this rate can vary from about 60 to 200, according to the International
Meteor Organization (IMO).

These are average velocity meteors, at about 41 km per second and can
be seen from about January 1st to 5th.  The time of highest activity is
very short though - only a handful of hours - so note the time on which
to center your observing - 12h UT on the 3rd.  Photographic and video
observations of this shower are also needed.

The radiant at maximum is at 230 degrees, ie RA 15h 19.8m, Dec +49,
which is about halfway between the top star of Bootes, beta, and theta
Draco.  This shower is named after the ancient constellation 'Quadrans
Muralis', the Mural Quadrant, located on old star atlases between
Hercules, Bootes and Draco.  For a map showing the radiant, check out
the article on the NASA Space Science website at
http://spacescience.com.

Dress warm, and get out to take a look at this shower.  Due to its short
duration, the Quadrantids are a tough - but very rewarding - meteor
shower to observe!


3. Other January Showers...

The Coma Berenicids (COM), although having reached a maximum on December
19th, can be seen until about January 23rd.  These are fast meteors, at
about 65 km per second.  Even at maximum back on December 19th, ZHR
rates were only about 5 meteors per hour, so rates in January will be
low.  On January 5th, the radiant will be at 190 degrees, ie RA 12h
40.2m, Dec +18, which is about 10 degrees up to the right of the star
epsilon Virgo.

The delta Cancrids (DCA) reach a maximum on January 17th with a radiant
at 130 degrees, ie RA 8h 40.2m, Dec +20, which is about halfway between
Regulus in Leo and the middle of Gemini.  These are slow meteors at
about 28 km per second, and ZHR rates at maximum should reach about 4
meteors per hour.  They can be seen from about January 1st to 24th.

These are the showers listed in the 2001 IMO Meteor Calendar, and the
showers that NAMN will concentrate on observing for January.  For more
advanced information, and details on southern showers visible this
month, check out the website of the IMO at http://www.imodot net.

There are always many more minor showers out there though for
observers to detect by careful plotting.  Many of these showers are
listed by Gary Kronk on his Comets & Meteor Showers webpage.  Several of
these for January include the Rho Geminids around January 8th with a
secondary maximum estimated around the 21st; the January Draconids
around the 13th to 16th; and the January Bootids with an estimated
maximum around the 16th to 18th.  For those curious about some of these
other showers, check out Gary's webpage at http://comets.amsmeteors.org.

Our NAMN website has some handy star charts to print off and use for
meteor observing - or for beginners to learn their constellations.
These charts also provide you with a set of 'standard stars' to use in
judging the brightness of the meteors you see.  The charts can be found
at http://web.infoavedot net/~meteorobs/charts.html

The winter sky also has a lot of prominent planets visible which are
helpful in providing guidelines for brighter meteors that you see.
Venus, low in the southwest evening sky, is about magnitude -4.4 for
most of January.  Jupiter, in Taurus, is up all night and is at about
magnitude -2.7.  Saturn, fainter and up to the right of Jupiter, also
in Taurus, is at -0.4 at midmonth.  Mars moves into Libra and is low in
the southeast in morning twilight at about magnitude 1.2 at midmonth.

If you are new to meteors, check out our NAMN Observing Guide at
http://web.infoavedot net/~meteorobs/guide.html


4. Comets, MIR and Other Moving Objects...

There are many interesting moving objects in the night sky as all
observers can attest to!

NAMN member Mike Boschat of Halifax, Canada, has found some more comets
by analyzing the images posted on the SOHO website!  Early last month,
he was up to 21 comet discoveries using the LASCO images at
http://sohowww.nascom.nasadot gov.  We expect by time of this newsletter
that he is probably on his way to the 25 mark!

MIR, the Russian space station, will be decommissioned in February and
let fall back to earth - assuming it stays up until then.  Take a night
to get a last look at this historic station.  Go to
http://www.heavens-above.com to print off viewing times for your
location.  If you want to take a photo of it, use camera, tripod, fast
film, and an aperture fairly wide open, with an exposure of whatever
you need to get it across your camera's field of view.  A 30 second
exposure on 35mm film with a normal lens will show the movement of MIR,
yet keep the stars as points.

For other interesting moving objects - ISS, the International Space
Station, and other satellites, also check out
http://www.heavens-above.com for your local viewing times.  For those of
us on the east coast of North America, many of these times have been
early evening lately, great for showing kids and other family members.

The brightness of the various satellites is given on the Heavens Above
website as well, which can be useful for beginning observers trying to
get a feel for judging meteor magnitudes.

For those with an interest in comets and asteroids - parent bodies of
meteors - we have several asteroids which will be occulted by the moon
this month.  Ceres will pass behind the moon on January 21st at 4h UT,
visible from Asia except the northeast, and the asteroid Vesta will pass
behind the moon on January 27th at 11h UT, visible from the north of
Africa, Europe including the British Isles, the Middle East, and Russia
except the eastern portion.  Observers not in these locations will see
the asteroids pass very close to the moon, but not behind it.
Telescopes will be needed to see these occultations in January.  By
November of 2001 though, Vesta will be bright enough to see without
optical aid, although it will be a challenging object at magnitude 6.5.

Lastly, for those meteor observers out on January 9th, we will have a
total eclipse of the moon with all of the eclipse visible from Europe,
Africa and Asia, and the eclipse visible at moonrise for eastern North
and South America and at moonset for those in Australia.  Those in San
Diego are out of luck on this one - no eclipse visible!


5. Benefits of Joining the IMO...

2001 - a new year!  Why not make it something special by joining the
international amateur meteor community - the International Meteor
Organization.  They have a wonderful bimonthly newsletter, full of
interesting articles for the amateur observer and professional alike.
The articles are easy to read, with topics covering everything from the
history of various meteor showers to analyses of observations.  Lots of
photographs, lots of graphs, lots of human content and great reading!

Membership, which includes the publication, is $20 US for the year.
Send check or money order to Mr. Robert Lunsford, IMO Secretary-General,
161 Vance Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910, U.S.A. with the check or money
order payable to "Mr. Robert Lunsford".


6.  An Astro Handbook for 2001...

The new 2001 edition of the Observers Handbook of the R.A.S.C. (Royal
Astronomical Society of Canada) is now available - and highly
recommended.

It includes such sections as:
- 'Meteors, Comets, and Dust' by Robert L. Hawkes
- 'Radio Detection of Meteors' by Philip Gebhardt
- 'Fireballs' by Jeremy Tatum and Damien Lemay
- 'Meteorite Identification' by Richard K. Herd
- 'Meteorite Impact Craters of North America' by R.A.F. Grieve
- 'Interplanetary Dust' by Roy Bishop

as well as a wonderful selection of other topics:
- 'Amateur Supernova Hunting' by Rev. Robert Evans
- 'Light Pollution' by David L. Crawford
- 'Planetary Appulses and Occultations' by David W. Dunham
- 'Teaching and the Observer's Handbook' by John R. Percy

There is a wonderful calendar section on what's visible in the sky
month-by-month, as well as detailed information on observing the sun,
moon, planets, comets, and deep sky objects. There is a special section
on 'Optics and Observing' which gives valuable information for the
amateur on telescope parameters, telescope exit pupils, binoculars,
filters, and sky transparency.

The  R.A.S.C. Observers Handbook can be ordered by sending funds to The
Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, 136 Dupont Street, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada  M5R 1V2.  The U.S. cost through the R.A.S.C. office is
$21.95 US per copy - or $13.50 US per copy if you order 5 or more
copies.  Copies can also be ordered online at http://www.rascdot ca by
credit card.  This Handbook is a wonderful resource for the coming year
- check it out!


7. Upcoming Meetings...

August 6-10, 2001 - Sweden:
The Meteoroids 2001 conference will be held at the Swedish Institute of
Space Physics in Kiruna, Sweden.  Topics covered will include historical
observations and perspectives on meteoroids; dynamics, sources and
spatial distribution; detection and characteristics of meteoroids from
interstellar space; the meteoroid interaction process in the atmosphere;
hypervelocity impact effects on spacecraft; Leonid meteor storms;
optical observations of meteors; and meteor radar work.  For
information, contact Asta Pellinen-Wannberg at
asta.pellinen-wannberg@irf.se and check out the website at
http://www.irf.se/Meteoroids2001.

September 20-23, 2001 - Slovenia:
IMC 2001, the annual convention of the International Meteor
Organization, will be held northwest of Ljubljana, in a mountain resort
in the Julian Alps.  This is a worldwide meeting for all amateur meteor
observers - not just for professionals.  Slovenia is on the Adriatic
Sea, just east of the top of Italy, and on the southern border of
Austria.  North American observers are particularly encouraged to
consider taking a vacation to Europe this year to attend!  It is a
wonderful opportunity to get to meet observers from around the globe -
and to see some of the most scenic parts of Europe at the same time!
For more information, check out the IMO website at http://www.imodot net


8. For more info...

Contact:
Mark Davis, MeteorObs@charlestondot net
Goose Creek, South Carolina, USA
Coordinator, North American Meteor Network

And check out:
NAMN home page:
http://web.infoavedot net/~meteorobs

Back issues of NAMN Notes can be found on-line at the NAMN website, and
in the meteorobs archives at:
http://www.tiacdot net/users/lewkaren/meteorobs
by selecting 'Browse Archive by Month'

To subscribe to the meteor email list or
To find out information on our weekly chat sessions:
Contact Lew Gramer at:
owner-meteorobs@jovian.com

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Here's to 'Clear Skies' for January...

January 2001 NAMN Notes co-written
by Mark Davis and Cathy Hall
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