Enhanced October Camelopardalids (OCT) activity on October, 5th, 2016

October Camelopardalids (218 OCT) meteor shower had been the source of unexpected outbursts in 2005 and 2006, on October 5/6, which were recorded with video methods (2005 outburst slightly appeared on radio data). The OCT radiant is circumpolar, as it is located at coordinates α ~ 166°, δ ~ +79°. No such returns were observed the following years, when observing conditions were favorable (2007, 2008, 2011 and 2013). Esko Lyytinen linked the OCT activity to a potential unknown long-period comet, and expected the calculated trail responsible for the 2005 outburst to be in the same position in 2016. An activity enhancement of the shower was thus expected on October 5th, 2016, around 14h 45m UT (for more information, see the Section 6 of the 2016 IMO Meteor Shower Calendar).

Observers were thus on alert for potential OCT activity increase on October 5/6, 2016, and tried to catch this suspected outburst, which would mostly favor Western Asia. First results shows that the OCT outburst was well recorded on radio and video data. Using RMOB data, Hirofumi Sugimoto could clearly highlight short enhanced meteoric activity on October 5th, centered on 14h 45m UT, so exactly at the predicted time!

Esko Lyytinen also recorded 19 suspected OCT, nearly 10 of them having appeared within an hour before 18h 03m UT, visually confirming the activity of this meteoric source just after the expected (and radio-confirmed) activity peak.