Meteor Activity Outlook for May 28-Jun 3, 2011

June is another slow month for meteor activity. There are no major showers
active in June and only the Antihelion source can be counted on for continuous
activity. Even the Antihelion is located so far south this time of year that
rates rarely exceed two per hour as seen from the northern hemisphere. Sporadic
rates reach their nadir in June as seen from the mid-northern hemisphere (45 N).
Sporadic rates seen from the mid-southern hemisphere (45 S) continue to rise
this month toward a maximum in July.

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Wednesday June 1st. At this
time the moon will lie near the sun and will not be visible at night. This
weekend the waning crescent moon will not cause any problems viewing meteor
activity as it is very thin and rises late in the morning. The estimated total
hourly rates for evening observers this week is near three as seen from the
northern hemisphere and four as seen from the southern hemisphere. For morning
observers the estimated total hourly rates should be near eight from the
northern hemisphere and eighteen as seen from south of the equator. 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 May 28/29. 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:

According to Peter Jenniskens, the Earth will pass only 0.0011 AU (100,000
miles) from the 1952 trail of comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 near 05:45 UT on
June 2. This corresponds to 1:45am EDT, 12:45am CDT, 11:45pm MDT (on June 1st),
and 10:45pm PDT (on June 1st). Unfortunately the comet was relatively inactive
on this return and this trail is not expected to produce any activity this year.
Still, I would urge observers to try and verify any activity near the times
listed above. This variable shower is known as the Tau Herculids (TAH) and last
produced activity back in 1995, when parent comet broke up into several pieces.
The radiant is expected to be near the position of 15:44 (236) +41. This area
of the sky is located where the boundaries of Bootes, Corona Borealis, and
Hercules meet. The nearest easily seen star is Mu Bootis, which lies four
degrees southwest of the radiant in northern Bootes. This area of the sky lies
high in the east once it becomes dark. It passes nearly overhead near 0100 local
daylight time. Luckily, the moon is near new and will not interfere with
observing at all. Please post your results either positive or negative to
meteorobs as soon as possible. If no activity occurs as expected, then the next
close approach will occur in 2017 from the 1941 trail. Looking even further
ahead, in 2022, the Earth encounters many trails of SW3, including two of the
very active 1995 trails, and an outburst of activity is expected.

The wide Antihelion (ANT) radiant is now centered at 17:24 (261) -23. This area
of the sky lies in southeastern Ophiuchus, two degrees northeast of the third
magnitude star Theta Ophiuchi. This radiant is best placed near 0200 LDT when it
lies on the meridian and is located highest in the sky. Due to the large size of
this radiant, any meteor radiating from southern Ophiuchus, western Sagittarius,
Serpens Cauda, or Scorpius could be a candidate for this shower. Rates at this
time should be near two per hour as seen from the northern hemisphere and three
per hour as seen from south of the equator. With an entry velocity of 30
km/sec., the average Antihelion meteor would be of medium-slow speed.

As seen from the mid-northern hemisphere (45N) one would expect to see
approximately six sporadic meteors per hour during the last hour before dawn as
seen from rural observing sites. Evening rates would be near two per hour. As
seen from the mid-southern hemisphere (45S), morning rates would be near fifteen
per hour as seen from rural observing sites and three 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.