Meteor Activity Outlook for November 19-25, 2011

During this period the moon reaches its new phase on Thursday November 25th. At
that time the moon will lie near the sun and will not be visible at night. This
weekend the waning crescent moon will be a nuisance in the late morning sky but
will not inhibit meteor watching. If the moon is above the horizon simple face
in a direction in which it lies outside of your field of view. The moon will be
less of a problem with each passing night as it approaches the sun. 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 fifteen as seen from mid-northern latitudes and twelve 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. Morning rates are slightly reduced
this week 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 November 19/20.
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:

Remnants from the famous Andromedid (AND) shower, noted for intense storms
during the 19th century, may still be seen throughout November. The current
position of this large radiant is 01:38 (024) +39. This position lies in central
Andromeda, two degrees south of the fourth magnitude star Upsilon Andromedae.
The radiant is so diffuse that Andromedid meteors may also be seen coming from
Triangulum, extreme northwestern Perseus, and southeastern Cassiopeia as well as
Andromeda. Visual activity is expected to be low, but detectable. An
inconspicuous maximum occured on November 12. The Andromedid meteors are best
seen near 2200 (10pm) LST (Local Standard Time), when the radiant lies on the
meridian. At 19km/sec., the average Andromedid will appear as a very slow moving
meteor.

The last of the Omicron Eridanids (OER) will be seen this weekend from a radiant
located at 04:06 (061) -03. This position lies in northeastern Eridanus, fifteen
degrees northwest of the bright zero magnitude star Rigel (Beta Orionis). The
radiant is best placed near 0100 LST, when it lies highest above the horizon.
Meteors from the Omicron Eridanids strike the atmosphere at 27km/sec., which
would produce meteors of slow velocity. Expected rates from this weak shower
would be less than one per hour, no matter your location.

The Northern Taurids (NTA) are active from a large radiant centered at 04:22
(066) +24. This position lies in central Taurus, seven degrees north of the
bright first magnitude orange star Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri). The radiant is best
placed near 0100 LST, when it lies highest above the horizon. Since the radiant
is large, Northern Taurid meteors may also appear to come from southwestern
Auriga, southeastern Perseus, northwestern Orion, as well as Taurus. Meteors
from the Northern Taurids strike the atmosphere at 29km/sec., which would
produce meteors of slow velocity. Expected rates would be near two per hour, no
matter your location.

The November Orionids (NOO) were recently discovered by Sirko Molau and Jueregen
Rendtel by analyzing video data from the IMO network. For years this radiant was
lost in the maze of radiants active this time of year. Due to the low activity,
visual observers were unable to detect this shower. This shower is active from
November 18 through December 9. Maximum activity occurs on November 30. Once you
know the radiant in advance, this shower is actually quite noticeable, producing
an average of two shower members per hour near maximum. The radiant is currently
located at 05:35 (084) +16. This position lies in northern Orion, nine degrees
northwest of the orange first magnitude star Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis). These
meteors are best seen near 0200 LST when the radiant lies on the meridian and
highest above the horizon. At 44 km/sec. the November Orionids produce mostly
medium velocity meteors.

The Leonids (LEO) should peak on November 18th. Up to five Leonids an hour may
be seen during the morning hours this weekend. Rates will fall as the week
progresses. The radiant is currently located at 10:22 (155) +21. This position
lies in western Leo only two degrees north of the third magnitude star Algeiba
(Gamma Leonis). At 71km/sec., the average Leonid is swift with a high percentage
of trains. These meteors are best seen during the last hour before the onset of
morning twilight, when the radiant lies highest above the horizon in a dark sky.

As seen from the mid-northern hemisphere (45N) one would expect to see
approximately nine 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. Morning rates are slightly reduced due to moonlight.

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