Meteor Activity Outlook for September 24-30, 2011

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Tuesday September 27th. At
this time the moon will lie near the sun and will not be visible at night. This
weekend the waning crescent moon will rise during the late morning hours but
will not interfere with meteor observing. The estimated total hourly rates for
evening observers this week is near four as seen from the northern hemisphere
and three as seen from the southern hemisphere. For morning observers the
estimated total hourly rates should be near eleven as seen from mid-northern
latitudes and six from mid-southern latitudes. 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.

The radiant (the area of the sky where meteors appear to shoot from) positions
and rates listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning September
24/25. These positions do not change greatly day to day so the listed
coordinates may be used during this entire period. Most star atlases (available
at science stores and planetariums) 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 latitude. It must be
remembered that meteor activity is rarely seen at the radiant position. Rather
they shoot outwards from the radiant so it is best to center your field of view
so that the radiant lies at the edge and not the center. Viewing there will
allow you to easily trace the path of each meteor back to the radiant (if it is
a shower member) or in another direction if it is a sporadic. Meteor activity is
not seen from radiants that are located below the horizon. The positions below
are listed in a west to east manner in order of right ascension (celestial
longitude). The positions listed first are located further west therefore are
accessible earlier in the night while those listed further down the list rise
later in the night.

The following showers are expected to be active this week:

The Southern Taurid (STA) radiant is now centered at 01:16 (019) +06. This area
of the sky lies on the Pisces/Cetus border, six degrees southeast of the fourth
magnitude star Epsilon Piscium. This radiant is best placed near 0200 local
daylight time (LDT), when it lies on the meridian and is located highest in the
sky. Rates at this time should be near one per hour no matter your location.
With an entry velocity of 27 km/sec., the average Southern Taurid meteor would
be of medium-slow speed. While looking at this area of the sky, notice how
bright the variable star Mira (Omicron Ceti) is these nights. It normally is too
dim to be seen with the naked eye but now stands at second magnitude, nearly the
brightest star in the constellation of Cetus the whale. It lies approximately
fifteen degrees southeast from the center of the STA radiant or just six degrees
southeast of the fourth magnitude star Al Rischa (Alpha Piscium). It is probably
near peak magnitude and will soon begin fading.

As seen from the mid-northern hemisphere (45N) one would expect to see
approximately ten sporadic meteors per hour during the last hour before dawn as
seen from rural observing sites. Evening rates would be near three per hour. As
seen from the mid-southern hemisphere (45S), morning rates would be near five
per hour as seen from rural observing sites and two per hour during the evening
hours. Locations between these two extremes would see activity between the
listed figures.

The table below presents a condensed version of the expected activity this week.
Rates and positions are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning.