Meteor Activity Outlook for September 4-10, 2010

September offers longer nights in the northern
hemisphere that tend to be less hazy than those experienced in mid-summer. In the
sky, no major showers are visible from either hemisphere but the northern
hemisphere enjoys the advantage of higher sporadic rates. Most of the shower
activity this month is produced from the Perseus-Aurigid complex active this time
of year. These showers rarely produce more than five meteors per hour but still
manage to produce most of the shower activity seen this month. Unfortunately the
Perseus-Aurigid complex lies too low in the northern sky for southern hemisphere
observers to view very well. Video studies have shown that the Southern Taurids
are visible as early as September 7th therefore after this date the Antihelion
radiant will no longer be listed until the Taurid showers end in December. The
Antihelion meteors are still active but their radiant is superimposed upon that
of the more numerous Taurids, therefore it is impossible to properly separate
these meteors. Observers in the southern hemisphere suffer from some of their
lowest rates of the year this month. The Southern Taurid radiant is not too badly
placed so observers south can expect to see a little of this activity this month.

During this period the moon reaches its new
phase on Wednesday September 8th. At this time the moon will be located near the
sun and will not be visible at night. This weekend the waning crescent moon will
rise during the early morning hours but will not interfere with meteor observing
as long as you keep it out of your field of view. The estimated total
hourly rates for evening observers this week is near four from the northern
hemisphere and three for observers south of the equator. For morning
observers the estimated total hourly rates should be near eighteen from the
northern hemisphere and twelve as seen from the southern hemisphere. 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 September 4/5. 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:

The wide Antihelion (ANT) radiant is now centered at 23:40 (355) -01. This
area of the sky lies in western Pisces, seven degrees south of the fourth
magnitude star Iota Piscium. 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 eastern Aquarius, southern Pegasus, western
Pisces, or western Cetus could be a candidate for this shower. Rates at this time
should be near three per hour no matter your location. With an entry velocity of
30 km/sec., the average Antihelion meteor would be of medium-slow speed.

Studies of the IMO’s vast video database by Sirko Molau and Juergen Rendtel has
revealed a radiant active in Cassiopeia this time of year. The September Iota
Cassiopeiids (SIC) are active from September 4th through the 13th with maximum
activity occurring on the 11th. The radiant position is currently located at 02:32
(038) +59. This position lies in eastern Cassiopeia, five degrees southeast of the
third magnitude star Segin (Epsilon Cassiopeiae). The radiant is best placed near
0500 LDT, when it lies highest above the horizon. Rates throughout the activity
period are expected to remain less than one per hour. With an entry velocity
of 50 km/sec., most activity from this radiant would be swift. Due to the high
northern declination (celestial latitude) meteors from this shower are not well
seen from the southern hemisphere.

The September Epsilon Perseids (SPE) are active from September 5th through the 13th
with maximum activity occurring on the 9th. The radiant position is currently
located at 02:56 (044) +41. This position lies in southwestern Perseus, only two
degrees west of the famous eclipsing variable star known as Algol (Beta Persei).
The radiant is also best placed near 0500 LDT, when it lies highest above the
horizon. Rates are currently less than one per hour but will increase
to 1-3 per hour at maximum. This shower experienced an outburst in 2008 with ZHR’s
near 25 for a short time. Many bright meteors were produced during this outburst
with the brightest estimated at magnitude -8. With an entry velocity of 66 km/sec.,
most activity from this radiant would be swift. This activity is visible from the
tropical regions of the southern hemisphere.

Many radiants in the region of Eridanus have been suspected this time of year. Recent
studies of the IMO’s vast video database by Sirko Molau and Juergen Rendtel has
verified a radiant active in Eridanus from September 3rd through the 24th with
maximum activity occurring on the 6th. The Nu Eridanid (NUE) radiant is
currently located at 04:24 (066) -01. This position lies in a remote region of
northeastern Eridanus. The nearest bright star is Rigel (Beta Orionis), which lies
twelve degrees to the southeast. The radiant is best placed near 0500 LDT, when it
lies highest above the horizon in a dark sky. Rates may be close to two per hour
this weekend and early next week. With an entry velocity of 68 km/sec., most
activity from this radiant would be swift. With the radiant lying close to the
celestial equator, these meteors are seen equally well from both hemispheres.

As seen from the mid-northern hemisphere (45N) one would expect to see approximately
thirteen 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 six 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.

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