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A.1 Meteor Showers (10-20 every hour; occur at night)
Some important showers are given in the following table.
SHOWER-NAME PEAK [RANGE] (RADIANT) (ZHRATE) CULM
Quadrantids Jan 03 [ -2, +2] (15h20m, +49°) (100/hour) 8am
Pi-Puppids II Jan 10 [ -4, +4] (07h32m, -43°) ( /hour) 12am
Delta-Cancrids Jan 17 [-12, +7] (08h40m, +20°) ( 5/hour) 1am
Alpha-Crucids Jan 19 [-13, +9] (12h48m, -63°) ( 5/hour) 5am
Lambda-Velids II Jan 21 [ -3, +5] (08h52m, -46°) ( /hour) 1am
Alpha-Carinids Jan 31 [ -7, +9] (06h20m, -54°) ( /hour) 10pm
Theta-Centaurids Feb 01 [ -9,+40] (14h00m, -40°) ( /hour) 5am
Alpha-Centaurids Feb 07 [-10,+14] (14h00m, -59°) ( 20/hour) 5am
Omicron-Centaurids Feb 11 [-11, +8] (11h48m, -56°) ( /hour) 2am
Delta-Leonids Feb 15 [-10,+33] (10h36m, +19°) ( 5/hour) 1am
Gamma-Normids Mar 14 [-18, +8] (16h36m, -51°) ( 10/hour) 5am
Beta-Pavonids Apr 07 [-27, +9] (20h32m, -63°) ( 10/hour) 7am
Lyrids Apr 22 [ -6, +3] (18h04m, +34°) (100/hour) 4am
Pi-Puppids Apr 23 [ -8, +5] (07h20m, -45°) ( 50/hour) 5pm
Alpha-Bootids Apr 27 [-13,+15] (14h32m, +19°) ( 5/hour) 12am
Eta-Aquarids* May 03 [-14,+25] (22h24m, -02°) ( 50/hour) 8am
Alpha-Scorpids May 03 [-38, +9] (16h00m, -27°) ( 10/hour) 1am
Ophiuchids N May 10 [-15,+21] (16h36m, -14°) ( /hour) 1am
Corona Australids May 15 [-22,+15] (18h56m, -40°) ( /hour) 3am
Kappa-Scorpids May 19 [-15, +8] (17h48m, -39°) ( /hour) 2am
Ophiuchids S May 20 [ -7, +6] (17h12m, -24°) ( /hour) 1am
Omega-Scorpids Jun 04 [-12,+11] (16h12m, -22°) ( /hour) 11pm
Chi-Scorpids Jun 05 [-12,+15] (16h32m, -14°) ( /hour) 12am
Gamma-Sagittarids Jun 06 [-15, +7] (18h08m, -28°) ( /hour) 1am
Theta-Ophiuchids Jun 13 [ -9,+32] (17h48m, -20°) ( /hour) 12am
Lyrids (Jun) Jun 16 [ -5, +5] (18h32m, +35°) ( 5/hour) 1am
Bootids (Jun) Jun 28 [ -2, +2] (14h36m, +49°) ( 2/hour) 8pm
Lambda-Sagittarids Jul 01 [-26,+24] (18h24m, -25°) ( /hour) 12am
Pegasids Jul 10 [ -3, +1] (22h40m, +15°) ( 10/hour) 3am
Phoenicids (Jul) Jul 15 [-21, +3] (01h24m, -43°) ( /hour) 6am
Piscis Austrinids Jul 29 [-20,+19] (22h44m, -30°) ( 10/hour) 2am
Delta-Aquarids S Jul 29 [-21,+21] (22h36m, -16°) ( 20/hour) 2am
Alpha-Capricornids Jul 30 [-27,+26] (20h28m, -10°) ( 10/hour) 12am
Iota-Aquarids S Aug 04 [-20,+21] (22h12m, -15°) ( 5/hour) 1am
Delta-Aquarids N Aug 12 [-28,+13] (22h28m, -05°) ( 5/hour) 1am
Perseids Aug 12 [-26,+12] (03h04m, +58°) (100/hour) 6am
Kappa-Cygnids Aug 19 [-16,+12] (19h04m, +59°) ( 5/hour) 9pm
Iota-Aquarids N Aug 20 [ -9,+31] (21h48m, -06°) ( 5/hour) 12am
Pi-Eridanids Aug 29 [ -9, +7] (03h28m, -15°) ( /hour) 5am
Alpha-Aurigids Sep 01 [ -8, +4] (05h36m, +42°) ( 20/hour) 7am
Delta-Aurigids Sep 09 [ -4,+31] (04h00m, +47°) ( 10/hour) 5am
Piscids Sep 20 [-36,+24] (00h32m, 00°) ( 5/hour) 1am
Kappa-Aquarids Sep 21 [-13, +9] (22h36m, -02°) ( 5/hour) 11pm
Capricornids (Oct) Oct 03 [-13,+11] (20h12m, -10°) ( 5/hour) 7pm
Sigma-Orionids Oct 05 [-25,+21] (05h44m, -03°) ( 5/hour) 5am
Draconids Oct 10 [ -4, +0] (17h28m, +54°) ( STORM) 4pm
Epsilon-Geminids Oct 20 [ -6, +7] (06h56m, +27°) ( 5/hour) 5am
Orionids* Oct 22 [-20,+16] (06h20m, +16°) ( 20/hour) 4am
Taurids S Nov 03 [-49,+22] (03h20m, +14°) ( 10/hour) 12am
Taurids N Nov 13 [-61,+12] (04h00m, +23°) ( 10/hour) 1am
Leonids Nov 18 [ -4, +3] (10h08m, +22°) ( STORM) 6am
Alpha-Monocerotids Nov 21 [ -6, +4] (07h48m, -06°) ( 5/hour) 4am
Chi-Orionids Dec 02 [ -6,+13] (05h28m, +23°) ( 5/hour) 1am
Phoenicids (Dec) Dec 06 [ -8, +3] (01h12m, -53°) (100/hour) 10pm
Sigma-Puppids II Dec 06 [ -9, +6] (06h48m, -45°) ( /hour) 2am
Monocerotids (Dec) Dec 10 [-13, +7] (06h40m, +14°) ( 5/hour) 1am
Sigma-Hydrids Dec 11 [ -8, +4] (08h28m, +02°) ( 5/hour) 3am
Geminids Dec 14 [ -7, +3] (07h28m, +33°) (100/hour) 2am
Coma Berenicids Dec 19 [ -7,+34] (11h40m, +25°) ( 5/hour) 6am
Ursids Dec 23 [ -6, +3] (14h28m, +75°) ( 50/hour) 8am
Tau-Puppids Dec 23 [ -4, +7] (06h56m, -50°) ( /hour) 1am
* Associated with debris from Comet Halley.
Major meteor showers, extracted from the above list, are given in the following table (in parenthesis is the solar longitude at the peak of the shower).
SHOWER-NAME PEAK [RANGE] (RADIANT) (ZHRATE) CULM SOLAR
LONG.
Quadrantids Jan 03 [ -2, +2] (15h20m, +49°) (100/hour) 8am 283.2°
Lyrids Apr 22 [ -6, +3] (18h04m, +34°) (100/hour) 4am 31.4°
Eta-Aquarids* May 03 [-14,+25] (22h24m, -02°) ( 50/hour) 8am 44 °
Delta-Aquarids S Jul 29 [-21,+21] (22h36m, -16°) ( 20/hour) 2am 125 °
Perseids Aug 12 [-26,+12] (03h04m, +58°) (100/hour) 6am 139.6°
Orionids* Oct 22 [-20,+16] (06h20m, +16°) ( 20/hour) 4am 207.8°
Taurids S Nov 03 [-49,+22] (03h20m, +14°) ( 10/hour) 12am 220 °
Leonids Nov 18 [ -4, +3] (10h08m, +22°) ( STORM) 6am 235 °
Geminids Dec 14 [ -7, +3] (07h28m, +33°) (100/hour) 2am 262.0°
Ursids Dec 23 [ -6, +3] (14h28m, +75°) ( 50/hour) 8am 270.7°
The range, in brackets, is the number of days before and after the peak of the shower. The center of the radiant is given in ascension and declination coordinates; typically the diameter of a radiant is about 5 or 10 degrees. The last column gives the culmination hour, which is the local time at which the radiant is highest in the sky.
On an average night there are about 10-20 meteors per hour that are visible, having a magnitude of 2 or brighter. During a meteor shower there are many more. The best time to see meteors is during the early morning, from about two hours after midnight until dawn, since your side of the Earth is then moving head on into any space debris.
The meteor showers listed above recur every year. See the Meteors.nb notebook.
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