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Re: (meteorobs) Re: Encke and Taurids this year?

One thing I want add here, and it is not meant to burst any bubbles.

Although the Taurids are believed to have been ejected from comet 
2P/Encke, or perhaps a bigger parent comet that Encke was once a part 
of, the portion of the stream that Earth intersects is believed to 
have been ejected by the comet somewhere on the order of thousands of 
years ago. Therefore, the material should be fairly evenly 
distributed throughout the Taurid orbit. Any material that Encke 
itself is currently shedding is in an orbit that is not currently 
intersected by Earth.

If Norman is correct, and it seems there are other people initially 
offering support for his idea, 2P/Encke is not the culprit. There 
might be a chance that occasionally enhanced rates might be a 
resonance feature created by Jupiter's gravitational tugging on the 
particles within the Taurid stream.

Just a thought.

Sincerely,
Gary

>On Thu, Nov 06, 2003 at 10:14:42AM -0500, George Gliba wrote:
>>  On Thu, Nov 06, 2003 at 09:30:42AM -0500, Paul Jones wrote:
>>  > >I have noticed that years ending in 0,1,4, and 7 have the 
>>better rates and
>>  > >more bright ones.
>>  >
>>  > >Norman
>>  >
>>  > Also, Norman, I would add to the list the amazing Taurid fireball year of
>>  > 1981 as further evidence of this cycle.  That year, I recall seeing at
>>  > least 3 or 4 Taurid fireballs an hour almost all night long.  Nothing like
>>  > it in my meteor memory save the 1998 Leonids.  1984 was also a very strong
>>  > Taurid year ratewise for me (15 per hour), without the fireballs though. 
>>  > You may be on to something here.
>>  >
>>  > Regards to all list folks,
>>  > Paul
>>
>>  I also recall seeing 3 or 4 Taurid fireballs an hour on a weekend night in
>>  early November 1981. The Goddard Astronomy Club had a star party at the
>>  Caroline Furnace retreat in Virginia. It was not as many fireballs as the
>>  great Leonid Bolide Shower of 1998, but I have never seen so many Taurid
>>  fireballs in one night.
>>
>>  GWG
>
>Oops, I was wrong about the year, which I belive was 1987. Upon reflection,
>I remembered that it was about a year after Halley's Comet. How time can
>fuzz the memory!?  Anyway, that still fits the cycle suggested by Norman.
>
>GWG
>
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