Meteors and How to Observe Them (eBook)

Robert Lunsford has had forty years experience viewing meteors and meteor showers, and is a memberv of the American Meteor Society (AMS) and the International Meteor Organization (IMO).

Preface 6
Acknowledgements 7
Contents 8
About the Author 12
Chapter 1 13
An Introduction to Meteorics 13
1.1 Meteoroids in Space 13
1.2 Meteors Entering Earth’s Atmosphere 14
1.3 Meteorites Reaching Earth’s Surface 14
References 14
Chapter 2 15
Sporadic Meteors 15
2.1 Random Meteors 15
2.2 Antihelion Meteors 18
2.3 Helion Meteors 20
2.4 Apex Meteors 20
2.5 Antiapex Meteors 21
2.6 Toroidal Meteors 22
References 22
Chapter 3 23
Major Annual Showers 23
3.1 Quadrantids (QUA) #10 24
3.2 Lyrids (LYR) #6 30
3.3 eta Aquariids (ETA) #31 31
3.4 delta Aquariids (SDA) #5 43
3.5 Perseids (PER) #7 44
3.6 Orionids (ORI) #8 56
3.7 Leonids (LEO) #13 63
3.8 Geminids (GEM) #4 70
3.9 Ursids (URS) #15 77
References 83
Chapter 4 84
Minor Annual Showers 84
4.1 alpha Centaurids (ACE) #102 85
4.2 delta Leonids (DLE) #29 86
4.3 gamma Normids (GNO) #118 87
4.4 eta Lyrids (ELY) #145 89
4.5 alpha Capricornids (CAP) #1 90
4.6 Piscis Austrinids (PAU) #183 92
4.7 k Cygnids (KCG) #12 93
4.8 Aurigids (AUR) #206 94
4.9 September Perseids (SPE) #208 96
4.10 delta Aurigids (DAU) #224 97
4.11 epsilon Geminids (EGE) #23 98
4.12 Leo Minorids (LMI) #22 100
4.13 Northern and Southern Taurids 101
4.13.1 Southern Taurids (STA) #2 101
4.13.2 Northern Taurids (NTA) #17 101
4.14 Puppid-Velids (PUP) #255 103
4.15 Monocerotids (MON) #19 105
4.16 sigma Hydrids (HYD) #16 106
4.17 Coma Berenicids (COM) #20 108
References 109
Chapter 5 110
Variable Showers 110
5.1 alpha Pyxidids (APX) #122 111
5.2 pi Puppids (PPU) #137 112
5.3 Tau Herculids (THE) #61 113
5.4 alpha Circinids (ACI) #162 115
5.5 gamma Delphinids (GDE) #65 116
5.6 June Bootids (JBO) #170 117
5.7 beta Hydrusids (BHY) #198 118
5.8 Draconids or Giacobinids (GIA) #9 119
5.9 Andromedids (AND) #18 121
5.10 alpha Monocerotids (AMO) #246 122
5.11 Phoenicids (PHO) #254 123
References 124
Chapter 6 125
Daytime Showers 125
6.1 Capricornids/Sagittariids (DCS) #115 125
6.2 chi Capricornids (DXC) #114 126
6.3 April Piscids (APS) #144 126
6.4 delta Piscids 126
6.5 epsilon Arietids (DEA) #154 127
6.6 May Arietids (DMA) #294 127
6.7 omic Cetids 127
6.8 Arietids (DAR) #171 128
6.9 zeta Perseids (ZPE) #172 128
6.10 beta Taurids (BTA) #173 129
6.11 gamma Leonids (GLE) #203 129
6.12 Sextantids (DSX) #221 129
References 130
Chapter 7 131
New Showers? 131
7.1 January Leonids (JLE) #319 132
7.2 alpha Hydrids (AHY) #331 133
7.3 February Sextantids (FSX) 134
7.4 April Draconids (APD) 135
7.5 North June Aquilids (NZC) #164 136
7.6 beta Aquariids (BAQ) 137
7.7 August Capricornids (AUC) 138
7.8 epsilon Cassiopeiids (ECS) 139
7.9 August Draconids (AUD) #197 140
7.10 September Ursa Minorids (SUM) 141
7.11 Southern September Lyncids (SSL) 142
7.12 Northern September Lyncids (NSL) 143
7.13 September alpha Orionids (AOR) #211 144
7.14 October Camelopardalids (OCT) 145
7.15 epsilon Ursa Minorids (EUR) 146
7.16 tau Ursa Majorids (TUM) 146
7.17 Zeta Cancrids (ZCN) #243 147
7.18 November Orionids (NOO) #250 148
7.19 epsilon Virginids (EVR) 149
References 149
Chapter 8 150
Observing Meteor Showers 150
8.1 Basic Visual Observations 151
8.2 Intermediate Visual Observations 154
8.3 Advanced Visual Observations 157
8.4 Plotting Meteors 159
8.5 Using a Cassette Recorder 160
8.6 Visual Observing Forms 161
8.7 When to Observe 161
8.8 Where to Observe 166
8.9 Equipment 166
8.10 Telescopic Observations 167
8.11 Photographic Observations 168
8.12 Video Observations 170
8.13 Radio Observations 172
8.14 Fireball Observations 173
References 175
Chapter 9 176
Meteor Activity Throughout the Year 176
9.1 January Activity 176
9.2 February Activity 177
9.3 March Activity 178
9.4 April Activity 179
9.5 May Activity 181
9.6 June Activity 182
9.7 July Activity 183
9.8 August Activity 184
9.9 September Activity 185
9.10 October Activity 186
9.11 November Activity 187
9.12 December Activity 187
Chapter 10 189
Meteor Groups and Organizations 189
10.1 American Meteor Society 189
10.2 Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers Meteors Section 190
10.3 Arbeitskreis Meteore e.V. (AKM) 190
10.4 Astronomical Society Ursa Meteor Section 190
10.5 British Astronomical Association Meteor Section 190
10.6 Dutch Meteor Society (DMS) 190
10.7 International Astronomical Union Commission 22 190
10.8 International Meteor Organization 191
10.9 MBK Team 191
10.10 Meteorobs 191
10.11 Nippon Meteor Society 191
10.12 North American Meteor Network (NAMN) 191
10.13 Pracownia Komet i Meteorów 192
10.14 Radio Meteor Observers Bulletin 192
10.15 Sociedad de Observadores de Meteoros y Cometas de España (SOMYCE) 192
10.16 Spanish Photographic Meteor Network (SPMN) 192
10.17 The Society for Popular Astronomy Meteor Section 192
10.18 Unione Astrofi li Italiani Sezione Meteore 193
Glossary of Terms 194
Index 197