The positions listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning August 24/25. The positions do not change greatly day to day so these positions may be used during this entire period. Most star atlases (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 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 below 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 usually being much slower than those last on the list. Velocity should not be the prime factor for shower association as all showers can produce slow meteors. Slow meteors can be produced from normally swift showers, such as the Leonids, when meteors appear near the radiant or close to the horizon. The true velocity is only revealed in shower members seen far from the radiant and high in the sky.
The detailed descriptions of each shower will return next week when moonlight becomes less of a factor.
Kappa Cygnids 19:12
(288) +60
North Iota Aquarids 22:08 (332)
-05
Antihelion
23:04 (346) -05
North Delta Aquarids 23:08
(347) -02
Pi Eridanids
03:20 (050) -16
Gamma Doradids 03:52 (058) -51
Northern Apex 04:04
(061) +36
Southern Apex 04:04
(061) +06
Perseids
04:20 (065) +60
Alpha Aurigids 05:04 (076) +42
Clear Skies!
Robert Lunsford
AMS Visual Program Coordinator