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(meteorobs) Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak radiant

> The item below was of some interest to observers who plot meteors visually
> or telescopically - and thus may on occasion be able to observe very
minor,
> previously unknown showers. Has anyone done the formulae to determine the
> possible radiant position & drift for meteors from this outbursting comet?
>
> Lew Gramer

Hi Lew,

Using MetRad software developed by Neslusan et al. (Astron. Astroph. 331
(1998), 411-413), I calculated below radiant and encounter geometries for
41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak (orbit from MPC 41717).

The comet-earth orbital distance is too large (minumum distance 0.1381 AU,
reached 93 days after the comet passed this point) to reasonably expect
meteor
activity on March 24 (date of closest encounter: at the node (Febr. 9-10)
the distance is larger) from this comet under normal circumstances (0.08 AU
normally being a reasonable limit, although there are exceptions).

But those who wish to try: the radiant, some degrees south of the head of
Hydra, is reasonably located, being in the sky due south when evening
twilight ends and remaining visible till after local midnight. This would be
a perfect
evening stream. Look for the odd meteor coming from RA 128, dec. -5 with 16
km/s (very slow) on March 24, although frankly it would surprise me if
meteors from this stream are visible. Alternatively, try meteors from RA
125, dec. -1 (and 37 m/s, medium fast) on February 10.

For radiant drift, typically take ~1 degree in RA per day parrallel to the
ecliptic.

Marco Langbroek

MetRad output:

             EQUINOX: 2000.0;       DATA FOR YEAR: 2001
--------------------------------------------------------------------
METH.  ALPHA  DELTA    VG      VH        L     DATE-MAX.    D-DISC.
 -Q    125.5     .0   16.93   37.54    321.1   FEB.  9.8     .275
 -B    125.4   -1.2   15.83   36.80    321.1   FEB.  9.8     .269
 -W    * THIS METHOD IS NOT APPLICABLE IN THAT CASE *
 -A    * THIS METHOD IS NOT APPLICABLE IN THAT CASE *
 -H    * THIS METHOD IS NOT APPLICABLE IN THAT CASE *
 -P    127.9   -5.1    9.71   37.40      3.4   MAR. 24.0     .156
 Q+    132.9   28.4   22.01   32.19    141.1   AUG. 13.8     .630
 B+    136.8   42.1   10.61   28.76    141.1   AUG. 13.8     .524
 W+    * THIS METHOD IS NOT APPLICABLE IN THAT CASE *
 A+    * THIS METHOD IS NOT APPLICABLE IN THAT CASE *
 H+    * THIS METHOD IS NOT APPLICABLE IN THAT CASE *
 P+    * THIS METHOD IS NOT APPLICABLE IN THAT CASE *
--------------------------------------------------------------------
FIRST/SECOND (-/+) SET OF DATA CONCERNS THE PRE-/POST-PERIHELION ARC
THE BEST METHOD - PRE-PERIHELION ARC:  P     (D =  .156)
                - POST-PERIHELION ARC: B     (D =  .524)




---
Marco Langbroek                    private: marco.langbroek@wanadoodot nl
Leiden University                     work: m.langbroek@arch.leidenunivdot nl
Faculty of Archaeology
P.O. Box 9515
http://home.wanadoodot nl/marco.langbroek/
NL-2300 RA Leiden
The Netherlands

"What seest thou else
  In the dark backward and abysm of time?"

William Shakespeare: The Tempest act I scene 2
---




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