Meteor Activity Outlook for June 29-July 6, 2012

Meteor season finally gets going in July for the northern hemisphere. The first
half of the month will be much like June. After the 15th though, both sporadic
and shower rates increase significantly. For observers in the southern
hemisphere, sporadic rates will be falling but the overall activity will
increase with the arrival of the Delta Aquariids.

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Tuesday July 3rd. At this
time the moon will be located opposite of the sun and will rise as the sun sets
and will set as the sun rises. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set
near the start of morning twilight. One may get in an hour of decent viewing
just before dawn but this disappears on Monday as the moon will remain above the
horizon the entire night. The estimated total hourly meteor rates for evening
observers this week is near two for observers in the northern hemisphere and
three for those south of the equator. For morning observers the estimated total
hourly rates should be near four as seen from mid-northern latitudes and eight
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. Rates are reduced during this period due
to moonlight.

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 June 30/July 1. 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 list below presents a condensed version of the expected activity this week.
Details of each radiant will be posted again next week when moonlight is not as
bad.