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(meteorobs) NAMN Notes: May 2003
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NAMN Notes: May 2003
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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://www.namnmeteors.org
Contents:
1. Eta-Aquarids - Debris from Halley's Comet...
2. Other May Meteor Showers...
3. International Astronomy Day...
4. Upcoming Meetings...
5. For more info...
1. Eta-Aquarids - Debris from Halley's Comet...
The highlight of the month of May is the eta Aquarid (ETA) meteor
shower. This meteor shower is of particular note as it originates with the
rather well known comet of Edmond Halley. Halley didn't discover the parent
comet for this meteor shower - but he is famous for realizing that the
comets of 1531, 1607 and 1682 were all the same body. It was this
connection that led to the comet being re-named as Comet Halley.
The eta Aquarids reach a maximum on May 6th this year at about 11h30m
UT, although they can be seen from about April 19th until May 28th. These
are fast meteors with a velocity of about 66 km per second.
The radiant at maximum is at 338 degrees, ie RA 22h 31.8m, Dec -01,
which is very near the star eta Aquarius on a star atlas. The radiant is
the area in the sky that the meteors seem to come from. It does move
over time - check out the map showing the radiant positions at
http://www.imodot net/calendar/cal03.html#eta-Aquarids
Aquarius, the "water-bearer" is an interesting constellation in the
sky - and a constellation that you should learn well now before all the
other Aquarid meteor showers become active later in the summer. It is
a constellation that is best seen under fairly dark skies, as many of
its stars are not that bright. The darker your sky is, the more
easily recognizable the constellation outline will be.
In ancient Greek myth, Aquarius was the cup bearer of Zeus - and a male.
The story goes that the original cup bearer was a woman - Hebe, goddess
of youth, and a daughter of Zeus and Hera. On Olympus she served the gods
nectar and attended to Hera's chariot. One version says that Hebe
slipped and sprained her ankle, and couldn't serve as cup bearer that
day. Another version of the story is that Hercules came to live at Olympus,
and Hebe was given to him in marriage and relieved of her cup bearing
duties.
At any rate, Zeus went looking for another cup bearer and spotted a
handsome shepherd boy in the mountains near Troy. Some versions say a
Trojan prince. Whatever his stature, his name was Ganymede. Zeus
decided to make Ganymede his cup bearer instead. Zeus changed himself into
an eagle and carried Ganymede off to Olympus. So... we now have Ganymede
as the cup bearer Aquarius in the sky, and the eagle as the nearby
constellation Aquila. The constellation Aquarius traditionally
represents the bringer of water, not wine - and spring floods - in many
cultures.
For the eta Aquarid meteors radiating from this interesting
constellation, the ZHR rates at maximum are about 60 meteors per hour,
although this is occasionally variable. ZHR refers to Zenithal Hourly Rate,
the number of meteors, on average, that an observer would expect to see per
hour, if they are out under a dark country sky, and if the radiant where the
meteors seem to come from, is directly overhead.
According to the International Meteor Organization (IMO), "the fast and
often bright meteors make the wait for radiant-rise worthwhile, and many
events leave glowing persistent trains after them".
For information on what to record while observing, check out our NAMN
Observing Guide at http://www.namnmeteors.org/guide.html Also, print
yourself off a set of our NAMN star charts to use in estimating the
brightness of the meteors you see. These can be found at
http://www.namnmeteors.org/charts.html
Recording sheets for your meteor data can be found at
http://www.namnmeteors.org/namn_form.html
and an email template at
http://www.namnmeteors.org/appendixC.html
Get out and enjoy the spring skies - and explore the realm of Aquarius!
2. Other May Meteor Showers...
The Sagittarids (SAG) started to become active about April 15th and can
be seen through until about mid-July. These are average velocity meteors
at about 30 km per second. ZHR rates are about 5 meteors per hour. The
Sagittarids are actually a complex of radiants near the ecliptic, and
are surmised to be debris from a number of unknown bodies. Fireballs have
been associated with this meteor shower complex. Radiant coordinates for
the month are as follows:
May 5 236 -20 ie. RA 15h 43.8m Dec -20
May 10 240 -21 ie. RA 16h 00.0m Dec -21
May 20 247 -22 ie. RA 16h 28.2m Dec -22
May 30 256 -23 ie. RA 17h 04.2m Dec -23
For those observers interested in trying out radio observation of
meteors, there are a number of daylight meteor showers, invisible to visual
observers but accessible for those listening in by radio. Details and
links on observing the following showers can be found on the IMO
website at http://www.imodot net
epsilon Arietids - from Apr 24 to May 27 - max on May 9, 19h UT
May Arietids - from May 4 to June 6 - max on May 16, 20h UT
omicron Cetids - from May 5 to June 2 - max on May 20, 19h UT
Arietids - from May 22 to July 2 - max on June 7, 22h UT
zeta Perseids - from May 20 to July 5 - max on June 9, 22h UT
For information on minor showers visible - both visual and radio -
check out Gary Kronk's "Comets and Meteor Showers" website at
http://comets.amsmeteors.org
Besides recognized main showers and other minor showers, there is also
sporadic meteor activity in May. This sporadic activity is about 7
meteors per hour visible to the unaided eye. This activity is comprised
partly of random meteors and partly of meteors that belong to long-ago,
now untraceable showers.
This month, the phases of the moon are as follows:
Thurs. May 1 new moon
Fri. May 9 first quarter
Fri. May 16 full moon - total lunar eclipse
Fri. May 23 last quarter
Sat. May 31 new moon - annular eclipse
Note that there is also a total lunar eclipse on May 16th. It can be
seen from most of North America, with the eastern part favored. South
America gets it all. Europe gets the eclipse at moonset, while further
east it is not visible.
Just in case you meteor observers out there are clouded out at night,
there is a transit of Mercury (fairly rare, about 13 per century)
across the face of the sun on May 7th. If you have a telescope equipped
with a proper safe solar filter take a look. The whole transit can be seen
from Europe, most of Africa and Asia. Part of it will be seen from Japan,
Australia, and New Zealand (the beginning), and part of it will be seen
from western Africa, and eastern North and South America (end of event).
There is also an annular solar eclipse on May 31st - for those
observers in northern Scotland (Loch Ness, the Outer Hebrides, the Orkney
Islands et al), Iceland, and about a third of Greenland. For exact times
for your location, check out the general astro websites for your part of the
world, such as the Sky and Telescope website at http://skyandtelescope.com
Planets at midmonth, and their magnitudes, are:
Venus -3.9 in east in morning about 1 hour before sunrise
Jupiter -2.1 in Cancer
Saturn 0.1 in Taurus, then Orion
Mars -0.2 in Capricornus
May 29th at about 4h UT, Venus will be 0.1 degree south of the moon for
North American observers - an occultation will be seen in eastern East
Africa, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Taiwan and
Japan. A star map showing the planets' positions can be printed off from
http://www.heavens-above.com - Select your location, then go to "Whole
Sky Chart".
May is a good month for meteors - and for astronomy in general. If you
have clear skies at night, get out for some meteors. If your night skies
are clouded out - try for some of the daytime astronomical sights for a
change!
3. International Astronomy Day...
Saturday May 10th is International Astronomy Day - and observers all
around the globe take this opportunity to help spread the word about
astronomy to the public!
Information on this special event can be found on the website of the
Astronomical League at http://www.astroleague.org/al/astroday/astroday.html
Astronomy Week runs from May 5th to 11th.
Try to join up with a group in your area and help with their Astro Day
activities. Talk to the public about meteor observing - and how you
can save energy and see more stars if you turn off your city lights!
Tell them about meteors and how it's great to watch for them under the
summer (and winter) skies. Tell them it's a great way for kids to learn
about the universe and the natural world around us.
For some photos of what a group Astronomy Day display can look like,
check out the Astronomy Day photos on the website of the Ottawa Astronomy
and Observers Group (OAOG), at
http://www.oaogdot ca/StarpartyPictures/StarParties.htm
However, even a simple display in your front yard, at work, in a local
shopping mall, in a local park - or a talk to a local girl guide,
scout, or school group - can help teach others about our study of the sky.
International Astronomy Day is lots of fun - get out, get involved, and
help spread the word about astronomy!
4. Upcoming Meetings...
May 10, Milton Keynes, UK...
The Pro-am Meeting on Comets, Meteors & Meteorites will be held at the
Open University in Milton Keynes, UK. This is a discussion group for all
astronomers, sponsored by the British Astronomical Association and the
Royal Astronomical Society. Brian Marsden will give the George Alcock
Memorial Lecture. Speakers include Neil Bone of the BAA. Details can be
found at http://www.astdot cam.acdot uk/~jds/proam.htm For information,
contact Jonathan Shanklin at comet@britastro.com
June 25 - July 2, Moscow, Russia...
The 95th Anniversary of the Tunguska Event, the Tunguska 2003
International Conference, will be held over several locations - Krasnoyarsk,
Vanavara, and Moscow, with talks and a special excursion to the epicenter of
the Tunguska event. The organizers welcome all those interested in the
Tunguska event - even if you just want to come as a tourist to visit the
famous Tunguska site! For information, check out
http://olkhov.narod.ru/conf03.htm#7b or contact Elena Batygina at
batyginaek@evenkya.ru.
August 10-14, Washington State, USA...
The Cometary Dust in Astrophysics conference will be held at Crystal
Mountain, in Washington State, USA. The purpose of the meeting will be
the integration of astrophysical observations of comets and cosmic dust with
laboratory analyses of interplanetary dust, stardust, and meteorites.
For more information, check out http://stardust.wustldot edu/CDA.html or
contact Donald Brownlee at brownlee@bluemoon.astro.washingtondot edu
September 18-21, Bollmannsruh, Germany...
The International Meteor Conference (IMC) of the International
Meteor Organization will be held in Bollmannsruh, Germany. This is the
annual world meeting for amateur meteor observers and professionals
alike! The location of the conference is a hostel near the town of
Brandenburg, about 40 km west of Berlin. It is situated in a rural
area by a lake, and facilities include accommodation in bungalows, a
cafe and bar, a lecture hall, an open air stage, and a place for a
campfire and barbecue. The special excursion during the conference
will be to Berlin to the Museum for Natural History, for a lecture on
meteorites and viewing of the meteorite collection. For more
information, check out http://aipsoe.aipdot de/~rend/2003imc.html and
http://www.imodot net/news/imc.html or contact Ina Rendtel at
IRendtel@t-onlinedot de. IMC 2003 marks the 15th anniversary of the IMO - so
meteor observers from around the globe are all invited for this special
event!
For more information on upcoming astronomy meetings, see: "International
Astronomy Meetings List" at http://cadcwww.hia.nrcdot ca/meetings
5. For more info...
NAMN email: namn@atmob.org
NAMN website: http://www.namnmeteors.org
Mark Davis, meteors@comcastdot net
Goose Creek, South Carolina, USA
Coordinator, North American Meteor Network
Cathy Hall, chall@cyberusdot ca
Metcalfe, Ontario, Canada
Co-author, NAMN Notes
Lew Gramer, dedalus@alum.mitdot edu
Medford, Massachusetts, USA
Coordinator, Public Outreach
Owner/Moderator, 'MeteorObs'
Kevin Kilkenny, namnfireball@earthlinkdot net (new address)
Staten Island, New York, USA
Coordinator, Fireballs and Meteorites
Back issues of NAMN Notes can be found online at the NAMN website and in
the MeteorObs archives at:
http://www.meteorobs.org by selecting 'Browse Archive by Month'
To subscribe to the meteor email list:
Contact Lew Gramer at: dedalus@alum.mitdot edu
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Here's to 'Clear Skies' for May...
May 2003 NAMN Notes co-written
by Mark Davis and Cathy Hall
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