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(meteorobs) Meteor Activity Outlook for Dec. 5-11, 2003

The moon is full on Monday December 8 and will be located opposite the sun
in the sky. This weekend and beyond, the moon will be present in the sky
nearly all night long, limiting the meteor activity to be seen. The sources
of meteors listed below are active during this period but will be difficult
to observe. If your sky is transparent and the limiting magnitude exceeds
+5.0, then you may be able to achieve some success at observing during this
period. The estimated total hourly rates for evening observers this week
should be near 2 for northern viewers and 1 for those located south of the
equator. For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates should be
near 5 for those located in the Northern Hemisphere and 3 for those 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 meteor activity.
Rates are greatly reduced this week due to intense moonlight.

The positions listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning
December 6/7. 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.

Phoenicids                         01:20  (020)   -53
Antihelion (Chi Orionids)   06:00  (090)   +23
Monocerotids                    06:32  (098)   +08
Geminids                           07:00  (105)   +34
Puppid/Velids                    08:12  (123)   -45
Sigma Hydrids                   08:16  (124)   +03
Northern Apex                  11:00  (165)   +21
Southern Apex                  11:00  (165)    -09

Clear Skies!
Robert Lunsford
AMS Operations Manager

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