Meteor Activity Outlook for 9-15 November 2024

During this period, the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Saturday November 9th. At that time the half-illuminated moon will set near 22:00 local standard time (LST) on Friday November 8th. As the week progresses, the waxing gibbous moon will intrude more upon the morning sky until it remains in the sky all night long by Thursday November 14^th.The estimated total hourly rates for evening observers this weekend should be near 3 as seen from mid-northern latitudes (45N) and 2 as seen from tropical southern locations (25S) For morning observers, the estimated total hourly rates should be near 18 as seen from mid-northern latitudes (45N) and 12 as seen from tropical southern locations (25S). Rates are reduced during evening hours due to moonlight. The actual rates seen will also depend on factors such as personal light and motion perception, local weather conditions, alertness, and experience in watching meteor activity. Note that the hourly rates listed below are estimates as viewed from dark sky sites away from urban light sources. Observers viewing from urban areas will see less activity as only the brighter meteors will be visible from such locations.

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 November 9/10. These positions do not change greatly day to day so the listed coordinates may be used during this entire period. Most star atlases (available online and at bookstores 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. I have also included charts of the sky that display the radiant positions for evening, midnight, and morning. The center of each chart is the sky directly overhead at the appropriate hour. These charts are oriented for facing south but can be used for any direction by rotating the charts to the desired direction. 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. Radiants that rise after midnight will not reach their highest point in the sky until daylight. For these radiants, it is best to view them during the last few hours before dawn. It must be remembered that meteor activity is rarely seen at its radiant position. Rather they shoot outwards from the radiant, so it is best to center your field of view so that the radiant lies toward 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 sporadic. Meteor activity is not seen from radiants that are located far 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.

These sources of meteoric activity are expected to be active this week

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The Southern Taurids (STA) are active from a wide radiant centered near 03:44 (056) +15. This position lies in western Taurus, 10 degrees south of the naked eye open star cluster known as the Pleiades. These meteors are best seen near 01:00 LST when the radiant lies highest in the northern sky. Rates are expected to be near 2 per hour no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 26 km/sec., the average STA meteor would be of medium-slow velocity.

The Northern Taurids (NTA) are active from a radiant located at 03:46 (056) +22. This area of the sky is located in western Taurus, 2 degrees south of the naked eye star cluster known as the Pleiades. To best see these meteors, one should face northward near 01:00 LST. Note that this radiant is only 7 degrees north of the STA radiant so care must be taken to separate these two showers. Maximum activity is not until November 8^th so rates at this time should be near 2 per hour no matter your location. With an entry velocity of 28 km/sec., the average NTA meteor would be of medium-slow velocity.

The Leonids (LEO) are active from October 27 to December 7 with maximum activity occurring on November 17^th. The radiant is currently located at 09:57 (149) +25. This position lies in northwestern Leo, near the spot occupied by the 3rd magnitude star known as Algenubi (epsilon Leonis). The Leonid radiant is best placed in the eastern sky during the last hour before morning twilight when the radiant lies highest in a dark sky. Leonids may be seen from the southern hemisphere, but the viewing conditions are not quite as favorable as those north of the equator. Current rates are expected to be near than 2 per hour as seen from the northern hemisphere and 1 per hours as seen from the southern hemisphere. With an entry velocity of 70 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be of swift speed with numerous persistent trains on the brighter meteors.

Sporadic meteors are those meteors that cannot be associated with any known meteor shower. All meteor showers are evolving and disperse over time to the point where they are no longer recognizable. Away from the peaks of the major annual showers, these sporadic meteors make up the bulk of the activity seen each night. As seen from the mid-northern hemisphere (45N) one would expect to see during this period approximately 11 sporadic meteors per hour during the last hour before dawn as seen from rural observing sites. Evening rates should be near 2 per hour. As seen from the tropical southern latitudes (25S), morning rates would be near 7 per hour as seen from rural observing sites and 1 per hour during the evening hours. Locations between these two extremes would see activity between these listed figures. Evening rates are reduced due to moonlight.

The list below offers the information in tabular form. Rates and positions are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning.

• Class I: the strongest annual showers with Zenith Hourly Rates normally ten or better.
• Class II: reliable minor showers with ZHR’s normally two to ten.
• Class III: showers that do not provide annual activity. These showers are rarely active yet have the potential to produce a major display on occasion.
• Class IV: weak minor showers with ZHR’s rarely exceeding two. The study of these showers is best left to experienced observers who use plotting and angular velocity estimates to determine shower association. These weak showers are also good targets for video and photographic work. Observers with less experience are urged to limit their shower associations to showers with a rating of I to III.