NAMN Notes is a monthly newsletter produced by the North Ame
by Mark Davis and Cathy Hall
More articles in NAMNIntroduction:
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. Quadrantids...
2. A Comet to Start the New Year...
3. Other January Showers...
4. Index to 2002 NAMN Notes...
5. Upcoming Meetings...
6. For more info...
1. Quadrantids...
Welcome to 2003, and to the first major shower of the new meteor season! The Quadrantids (QUA) start to become active on New Years, January 1st, and run until the 5th. The maximum is on January 4th at about 0h UT, which is 7 p.m. EST on January 3rd for eastern North American observers.
ZHR rates for the Quads are variable. They are usually stated as being about 120 meteors per hour, but can vary between 60 and 200 per hour. These are average velocity meteors, at about 41 km per second. The radiant is at 230 degrees, ie. RA 15h 19.8m, Dec +49, which is in northern Bootes. The radiant forms a triangle with the stars phi Hercules and beta Bootes. A map showing the radiant position can be found on the website of the International Meteor Organization (IMO at
http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal03.html#Quadrantids
The time of maximum activity is usually very brief - only several hours, so is very weather-dependent. However, as the fainter (telescopic) meteors may reach a maximum up to 14 hours prior to the regular max, and the radiometeors up to 9-12 hours after the regular max, all observations between January 1st and 5th will be very valuable!
To help you in estimating the brightness of the meteors you see, print yourself off a set of our NAMN star charts from http://www.namnmeteors.org/charts.html. These maps show the constellations and standard magnitude stars for brightness comparisons. To estimate the sky conditions - the limiting magnitude, use the charts on the IMO website at http://www.imo.net/visual/major01.html#table2
Recording sheets for your data can be found at http://www.namnmeteors.org/namn_form.html and an email template at http://www.namnmeteors.org/appendixC.html
For information on what to record, check out our NAMN Observing Guide at http://www.namnmeteors.org/guide.html
And - if you have any questions on observing, drop a note to our NAMN Coordinator at meteors@comcast.net
2. A Comet to Start the New Year...
Kudos to Tetuo Kudo of Kumamota, Japan and to Shigehisa Fujikawa of Kagawa, Japan for their discovery of the first decent amateur comet for 2003! Kudo spotted his comet early on the morning of December 14th, using 20 x 120 binoculars. Fujikawa was using a 6 inch reflecting telescope. The comet was found in the Bootes/Hercules region.
The comet, named C/2002 X5 (Kudo-Fujikawa) will reach perihelion - its closest approach to the sun, on January 28th. It is expected to brighten considerably from its discovery brightness of about 9th magnitude. Throughout January, it will be visible with binoculars and near the end of the month, will reach visibility with the unaided eye. Coordinates during January are as follows: (taken from http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Comets/2002X5.html)
Date RA Dec Magnitude
2003 01 01 18h 09.28 +28 27.3 +5.8
2003 01 06 18h 42.37 +21 29.3 +5.2
2003 01 11 19h 11.64 +13 58.2 +4.4
2003 01 16 19h 37.50 +06 00.2 +3.5
2003 01 21 20h 00.83 -02 39.8 +2.1
2003 01 26 20h 23.75 -12 59.6 +0.2
2003 01 31 20h 52.61 -25 04.2 -0.1
2003 02 05 21h 32.93 -34 07.9 +1.7
For a map showing the movement of the comet through the constellations, check out Seiichi Yoshida's 'Weekly Information about Bright Comets' website at http://www.aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html. Information and a map can also be found on the Sky and Telescope website at http://skyandtelescope.com
Keep an eye on these websites throughout January for late-breaking news on Comet Kudo-Fujikawa!
3. Other January Showers...
The 2003 IMO Meteor Shower Calendar is now available online at http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal03.html. You might want to print off a copy and put it in a binder for details on meteor showers throughout the year.
The Coma Berenicids (COM), although having reached a maximum on December 20th, can be seen until about January 23rd. ZHR rates at maximum were about 5 meteors per hour, so rates in January will be low. These are fast meteors with a velocity of about 65 km per second. This shower is possibly associated with Comet Lowe, 1913 I, discovered by an amateur astronomer in south Australia. A map showing the movement of the radiant throughout the month of January can be found at http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal01.html#Coma-Berenicids.
The delta Cancrids (DCA) reach a maximum on January 17th with a radiant at 130 degrees, ie RA 8h 40.2m, Dec +20, which is about the same location as the star cluster known as M44, the Beehive Cluster. This cluster appears as a fuzzy patch with the unaided eye, and is just past the halfway point on a line between Regulus in Leo and Pollux in Gemini. The shower runs from about January 1st to 24th. A map showing the movement of the radiant is at http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal02.html#delta-Cancrids. These are slow meteors, with a velocity of about 28 km per second. ZHR rates at maximum will be about 4 meteors per hour.
Lastly, the alpha Centaurids (ACE), although not reaching a maximum until February 8th, can be seen starting about January 28th. These are fast meteors, with a velocity of about 56 km per second. ZHR rates at maximum will be about 6 meteors per hour, but rates in January will be lower. The IMO states that this shower is capable of "producing many very bright, even fireball-class, objects" and is one of the "main southern hemisphere high points in the opening months of the year" - with outbursts possible. A map of the radiant can be found at http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal02.html#alpha-Centaurids.
For information on minor showers visible, 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 January. 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. Jan. 2 new moon
Fri. Jan. 10 first quarter
Sat. Jan. 18 full moon
Sat. Jan. 25 last quarter
Planets at midmonth are:
Venus -4.4 in east in morning
Jupiter -2.6 in Cancer
Saturn -0.3 in Taurus
Mars 1.5 in Scorpius
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'.
4. Index to 2002 NAMN Notes...
The following is the index to articles in our NAMN Notes for 2002. The issues can be found in the MeteorObs archives at http://www.meteorobs.org by selecting 'Browse
Archive by Month'.
January 2002
NAMN... Welcome to 2002!
Quads... the New Year's Shower!
Other January Showers...
New Year's Resolutions for Meteor Observers...
Index to 2001 NAMN Notes...
February 2002
February Showers...
Motivation and Meteor Observing...
IMC Poland - Plan Now!...
March 2002
Winter Showers of March...
A Cute Meteor Video for Kids...
Fireball Update...
April 2002
International Astronomy Day!...
Info Sheets for Clubs and Events...
April Lyrids...
Other Spring Showers...
May 2002
Edmond Halley - His Comet and Our Meteors...
Sagittarids, the Ecliptic Activity...
Other Sky Events in May...
June 2002
Meteor Debris from Comet Pons-Winnecke...
Other June Showers...
Astro Links for Observers...
July 2002
Lots of Aquarids in July...
All the Other Showers to Watch for...
Summer Reading for Meteor Enthusiasts...
August 2002
Perseids - The Great Summer Meteor Shower...
The Aquarid Blitz Continues...
Other Meteor Showers of August...
September 2002
Alpha Aurigids... September's Main Shower...
Other Activity This Month...
August Fireballs...
Web People - Time to Update Before Leonids...
October 2002
Orionids - Meteors from Halley's Comet...
Watch for Draconids!...
Other October Showers...
November 2002
Leonids - Your Planning Guide...
Alpha Monocerotids...
Other November Showers...
December 2002
Geminids - The Final Highlight of the Year...
Other December Showers...
Heads up for New Years...
Christmas Gift Ideas for Meteor Observers...
5. Upcoming Meetings...
For more information on upcoming astronomy meetings, see: "International Astronomy Meetings List" at http://cadcwww.hia.nrc.ca/meetings
6. For more info...
NAMN email: namn@atmob.org
NAMN website: http://www.namnmeteors.org
Mark Davis, meteors@comcast.net
Goose Creek, South Carolina, USA
Coordinator, North American Meteor Network
Cathy Hall, chall@cyberus.ca
Metcalfe, Ontario, Canada
Co-author, NAMN Notes
Lew Gramer, dedalus@alum.mit.edu
Medford, Massachusetts, USA
Coordinator, Public Outreach
Owner/Moderator, 'MeteorObs'
Kevin Kilkenny, namnmeteorites@yahoo.com
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 or to find out information on our weekly chat sessions:
Contact Lew Gramer at: dedalus@alum.mit.edu