NAMN Notes is a monthly newsletter produced by the North American
Meteor Network
by Mark Davis and Cathy Hall
From: Mark Davis
To: NAMN
Subject: NAMN Notes: January 2003
Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 21:49:35 -0500
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NAMN Notes: January 2003
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Introduction:
NAMN Notes is a monthly newsletter produced by the North American
Meteor Network, and is available both via email, and on the NAMN website at:
http://www.namnmeteors.org
Contents:
1. Quadrantids...
2. A Comet to Start the New Year...
3. Other January Showers...
4. Index to 2002 NAMN Notes...
5. Upcoming Meetings...
6. For more info...
1. Quadrantids...
Welcome to 2003, and to the first major shower of the new meteor season!
The Quadrantids (QUA) start to become active on New Years, January 1st, and
run until the 5th. The maximum is on January 4th at about 0h UT, which is 7
p.m. EST on January 3rd for eastern North American observers.
ZHR rates for the Quads are variable. They are usually stated as being
about 120 meteors per hour, but can vary between 60 and 200 per hour.
These are average velocity meteors, at about 41 km per second. The radiant
is at 230 degrees, ie. RA 15h 19.8m, Dec +49, which is in northern Bootes.
The radiant forms a triangle with the stars phi Hercules and beta Bootes. A map
showing the radiant position can be found on the website of the
International Meteor Organization (IMO at
http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal03.html#Quadrantids
The time of maximum activity is usually very brief - only several hours, so
is very weather-dependent. However, as the fainter (telescopic) meteors may
reach a maximum up to 14 hours prior to the regular max, and the radio
meteors up to 9-12 hours after the regular max, all observations
between January 1st and 5th will be very valuable!
To help you in estimating the brightness of the meteors you see, print
yourself off a set of our NAMN star charts from
http://www.namnmeteors.org/charts.html.
These maps show the constellations and standard magnitude stars for
brightness comparisons. To estimate the sky conditions - the limiting
magnitude, use the charts on the IMO website
at http://www.imo.net/visual/major01.html#table2
Recording sheets for your data can be found at
http://www.namnmeteors.org/namn_form.html
and an email template at
http://www.namnmeteors.org/appendixC.html
For information on what to
record, check out our NAMN Observing Guide at
http://www.namnmeteors.org/guide.html
And - if you have any questions on observing, drop a note to our NAMN
Coordinator at meteors@comcast.net
2. A Comet to Start the New Year...
Kudos to Tetuo Kudo of Kumamota, Japan and to Shigehisa Fujikawa of
Kagawa, Japan for their discovery of the first decent amateur comet for 2003!
Kudo spotted his comet early on the morning of December 14th, using 20 x
120 binoculars. Fujikawa was using a 6 inch reflecting telescope. The
comet was found in the Bootes/Hercules region.
The comet, named C/2002 X5 (Kudo-Fujikawa) will reach perihelion - its
closest approach to the sun, on January 28th. It is expected to
brighten considerably from its discovery brightness of about 9th magnitude.
Throughout January, it will be visible with binoculars and near the
end of the month, will reach visibility with the unaided eye. Coordinates
during January are as follows: (taken from
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Comets/2002X5.html)
Date RA Dec Magnitude
2003 01 01 18h 09.28 +28 27.3 +5.8
2003 01 06 18h 42.37 +21 29.3 +5.2
2003 01 11 19h 11.64 +13 58.2 +4.4
2003 01 16 19h 37.50 +06 00.2 +3.5
2003 01 21 20h 00.83 -02 39.8 +2.1
2003 01 26 20h 23.75 -12 59.6 +0.2
2003 01 31 20h 52.61 -25 04.2 -0.1
2003 02 05 21h 32.93 -34 07.9 +1.7
For a map showing the movement of the comet through the constellations,
check out Seiichi Yoshida's 'Weekly Information about Bright Comets'
website at http://www.aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html. Information and
a map can also be found on the Sky and Telescope website at
http://skyandtelescope.com
Keep an eye on these websites throughout January for late-breaking
news on Comet Kudo-Fujikawa!
3. Other January Showers...
The 2003 IMO Meteor Shower Calendar is now available online at
http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal03.html. You might want to print off a copy
and put it in a binder for details on meteor showers throughout the year.
The Coma Berenicids (COM), although having reached a maximum on
December 20th, can be seen until about January 23rd. ZHR rates at maximum
were about 5 meteors per hour, so rates in January will be low. These are fast
meteors with a velocity of about 65 km per second. This shower is
possibly associated with Comet Lowe, 1913 I, discovered by an amateur
astronomer in south Australia. A map showing the movement of the radiant
throughout the month of January can be found at
http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal01.html#Coma-Berenicids.
The delta Cancrids (DCA) reach a maximum on January 17th with a
radiant at 130 degrees, ie RA 8h 40.2m, Dec +20, which is about the same
location as the star cluster known as M44, the Beehive Cluster. This cluster
appears as a fuzzy patch with the unaided eye, and is just past the halfway
point on a line between Regulus in Leo and Pollux in Gemini. The shower runs
from about January 1st to 24th. A map showing the movement of the radiant
is at http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal02.html#delta-Cancrids. These are slow
meteors, with a velocity of about 28 km per second. ZHR rates at maximum
will be about 4 meteors per hour.
Lastly, the alpha Centaurids (ACE), although not reaching a maximum
until February 8th, can be seen starting about January 28th. These are fast
meteors, with a velocity of about 56 km per second. ZHR rates at maximum
will be about 6 meteors per hour, but rates in January will be lower. The
IMO states that this shower is capable of "producing many very
bright, even fireball-class, objects" and is one of the "main southern
hemisphere high points in the opening months of the year" - with outbursts
possible. A map of the radiant can be found at
http://www.imo.net/calendar/cal02.html#alpha-Centaurids.
For information on minor showers visible, check out Gary Kronk's
'Comets and Meteor Showers' website at http://comets.amsmeteors.org
Besides recognized main showers, and other minor showers, there is
also sporadic meteor activity in January. This sporadic activity is about
7 meteors per hour, visible to the unaided eye. This activity is
comprised partly of random meteors and partly of meteors that belong to
long-ago, now untraceable showers.
This month, the phases of the moon are as follows:
Thurs. Jan. 2 new moon
Fri. Jan. 10 first quarter
Sat. Jan. 18 full moon
Sat. Jan. 25 last quarter
Planets at midmonth are:
Venus -4.4 in east in morning
Jupiter -2.6 in Cancer
Saturn -0.3 in Taurus
Mars 1.5 in Scorpius
A star map showing the planets' positions can be printed off from
http://www.heavens-above.com - select your location, then go to
'Whole Sky Chart'.
4. Index to 2002 NAMN Notes...
The following is the index to articles in our NAMN Notes for 2002.
The issues can be found in the MeteorObs archives at
http://www.meteorobs.org by selecting 'Browse
Archive by Month'.
January 2002
NAMN... Welcome to 2002!
Quads... the New Year's Shower!
Other January Showers...
New Year's Resolutions for Meteor Observers...
Index to 2001 NAMN Notes...
February 2002
February Showers...
Motivation and Meteor Observing...
IMC Poland - Plan Now!...
March 2002
Winter Showers of March...
A Cute Meteor Video for Kids...
Fireball Update...
April 2002
International Astronomy Day!...
Info Sheets for Clubs and Events...
April Lyrids...
Other Spring Showers...
May 2002
Edmond Halley - His Comet and Our Meteors...
Sagittarids, the Ecliptic Activity...
Other Sky Events in May...
June 2002
Meteor Debris from Comet Pons-Winnecke...
Other June Showers...
Astro Links for Observers...
July 2002
Lots of Aquarids in July...
All the Other Showers to Watch for...
Summer Reading for Meteor Enthusiasts...
August 2002
Perseids - The Great Summer Meteor Shower...
The Aquarid Blitz Continues...
Other Meteor Showers of August...
September 2002
Alpha Aurigids... September's Main Shower...
Other Activity This Month...
August Fireballs...
Web People - Time to Update Before Leonids...
October 2002
Orionids - Meteors from Halley's Comet...
Watch for Draconids!...
Other October Showers...
November 2002
Leonids - Your Planning Guide...
Alpha Monocerotids...
Other November Showers...
December 2002
Geminids - The Final Highlight of the Year...
Other December Showers...
Heads up for New Years...
Christmas Gift Ideas for Meteor Observers...
5. Upcoming Meetings...
For more information on upcoming astronomy meetings, see: "International
Astronomy Meetings List" at http://cadcwww.hia.nrc.ca/meetings
6. For more info...
NAMN email: namn@atmob.org
NAMN website: http://www.namnmeteors.org
Mark Davis, meteors@comcast.net
Goose Creek, South Carolina, USA
Coordinator, North American Meteor Network
Cathy Hall, chall@cyberus.ca
Metcalfe, Ontario, Canada
Co-author, NAMN Notes
Lew Gramer, dedalus@alum.mit.edu
Medford, Massachusetts, USA
Coordinator, Public Outreach
Owner/Moderator, 'MeteorObs'
Kevin Kilkenny, namnmeteorites@yahoo.com
Staten Island, New York, USA
Coordinator, Fireballs and Meteorites
Back issues of NAMN Notes can be found online at the NAMN website and
in the MeteorObs archives at: http://www.meteorobs.org by selecting 'Browse
Archive by Month'
To subscribe to the meteor email list or to find out information on
our weekly chat sessions:
Contact Lew Gramer at: dedalus@alum.mit.edu
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Here's to 'Clear Skies' for January...
January 2003 NAMN Notes co-written
by Mark Davis and Cathy Hall
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