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(meteorobs) Meteor Activity Outlook for December 7-13, 2001
The moon reaches its last quarter phase on Friday December 7. At this
time it will rise near midnight and will be 50 percent illuminated. As
the days progress the moon will wane as it approaches the vicinity of
the sun and lunar interference will decrease. The estimated total hourly
rates for evening observers this week should be near 3 for those in the
Northern Hemisphere and 1 for those in the Southern Hemisphere. For
morning observers the estimated total hourly rates should be near 15 for
the Northern Hemisphere and 8 for those located in the Southern
Hemisphere. These rates assume that you are watching from rural areas
away from all sources of light pollution. The actual rates will also
depend on factors such as personal light and motion perception, local
weather conditions, alertness and experience in watching for meteor
activity. The morning rates are less than usual due to light from the
waning moon.
The positions listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning
December 8/9. The positions do not change greatly day to day so they may
be used during this entire period. Most star atlas's (available at
science stores and libraries) will provide maps with grid lines of the
celestial coordinates so that you may find out exactly where these
positions are located in the sky. A planisphere or computer planetarium
program is also useful in showing the sky at any time of night on any
date of the year. Activity from each radiant is best seen when it is
positioned highest in the sky, either toward due north or south along
the meridian, depending on your location. Meteor activity is not seen
from radiants that are located below the horizon. The radiants are
listed in a west to east manner in order of right ascension (celestial
longitude). The radiants listed first are located further west therefore
are accessible earlier in the night while those listed last rise later
in the night. This list also provides the order of ascending velocity
for each radiant with those listed first being much slower than those
last on the list.
The Phoenicids peaked on December 5th. Activity from this radiant would
be very low at this time. The radiant is currently located at 01:28
(022) -53 which places it on the Phoenix/Eridanus border, just 4 degrees
north of the brilliant star Achernar (Alpha Eridani). Any remaining
activity would be best seen from the Southern Hemisphere as soon as it
becomes sufficiently dark.
The Antihelion radiant is now located at 06:08 (092) +23. This area of
the sky is located in western Gemini close to the 3rd magnitude star Eta
Geminorum. Any slow to medium speed meteor from eastern Taurus,
northern Orion or western Gemini may be a good candidate for this
shower. This area of the sky