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Whence the Taurids? (was Re: (meteorobs) Meteor Activity Outlook for November 8-14, 2002)



Bob Lunsford, in his invaluable weekly 'Outlook', states:
>We are now starting to see an increase in the antihelion activity as the
>Earth encounters debris from comet 1P Encke ...
>Unlike most of the annual showers the antihelion radiant is produced by 
>debris from unknown sources orbiting in a direct motion like the earth ...
>IMO observers may wish to list these meteors as Taurids or "STA or NTA's"
>depending on whether the meteors radiant from north or south of the ecliptic.

Bob, you have advocated for a number of years, treating the ecliptical
showers as a single complex, rather than considering them as individual
showers radiating from different constellations throughout the year. I
personally think this makes a great deal of sense - for exactly those
reasons you outline in the second and third paragraphs quoted above.

However, in past years, you've generally acknowledged that the Taurid
complex represents an exception to this. Again, that is for exactly the
reason you mention in paragraph one, namely that there IS a parent body
which has been reliably identified for these two showers - Comet Encke.

(In addition, can't the observational characteristics of the Taurids,
e.g., their observed rates, calculated 'r' factors, etc., be shown to
be quite distinct from those of the other "ecliptical showers" that
cover the whole remainder of the annual meteor calendar?)

I am curious to hear Bob's thoughts, and those of other observers and
theorists, about this question: In which category SHOULD the Taurids
be classed - as a shower (and a fairly noticeable one at that!) or as
essentially glorified Sporadics, part of the general ecliptical locus
which Bob has labeled the "Antihelion radiant"?

This is pretty topical right now, considering that the broad "peaks"
of these two showers fall respectively last week (STA) and next (NTA)!

Clear skies all, and thanks for your thoughts!

Lew

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