Gregory Gage captured this spectacular fireball on October 5, 2024, at 23:45pm EDT from Sistersville, West Virginia, USA. © Gregory Gage
All over this era, the moon reaches its complete segment on Wednesday February twelfth. On that night time the moon will probably be situated reverse the solar and can lie above the horizon all night time lengthy. This weekend the waxing gibbous moon will set throughout the early morning hours, leaving a small window of alternative to watch underneath darkish stipulations between moonset and the damage of first light. The estimated overall hourly charges for night time observers this weekend must be close to 2 as observed from mid-northern latitudes (45N) and three as observed from tropical southern places (25S). For morning observers, the estimated overall hourly charges must be close to 8 as observed from mid-northern latitudes (45N) and 16 as observed from tropical southern places (25S). The real charges observed can even rely on components akin to non-public mild and movement belief, native climate stipulations, alertness, and revel in in looking at meteor job. Night time charges are diminished because of moonlight. Notice that the hourly charges listed here are estimates as considered from darkish sky websites clear of city mild resources. Observers viewing from city spaces will see much less job as most effective the brighter meteors will probably be visual from such places.
The radiant (the world of the sky the place meteors seem to shoot from) positions and charges listed here are actual for Saturday night time/Sunday morning February 8/9. Those positions don’t alternate very much everyday so the indexed coordinates is also used throughout this whole duration. Maximum megastar atlases (to be had on-line and at bookstores and planetariums) will supply maps with grid strains of the celestial coordinates so which you could to find out precisely the place those positions are situated within the sky. I’ve additionally integrated charts of the sky that show the radiant positions for night time, middle of the night, and morning. The middle of every chart is the sky at once overhead on the suitable hour. Those charts are orientated for dealing with south however can be utilized for any route via rotating the charts to the required route. A planisphere or laptop planetarium program could also be helpful in appearing the sky at any time of night time on any date of the yr. Job from every radiant is best possible observed when it’s situated absolute best within the sky, both due north or south alongside the meridian, relying in your latitude. Radiants that upward thrust after middle of the night is not going to succeed in their absolute best level within the sky till sunlight. For those radiants, it’s best to view them throughout the previous few hours sooner than first light. It will have to be remembered that meteor job isn’t observed at its radiant place. Fairly they shoot outwards from the radiant, so it’s best to middle your box of view in order that the radiant lies towards the threshold and no longer the middle. Viewing there’ll assist you to simply hint the trail of every meteor again to the radiant (if this is a bathe member) or in every other route whether it is sporadic. Meteor job isn’t observed from radiants which might be situated a ways under the horizon. The positions under are indexed in a west to east way so as of proper ascension (celestial longitude). The positions indexed first are situated additional west due to this fact are out there previous within the night time whilst the ones indexed additional down the checklist upward thrust later within the night time.
Radiant Positions at 19:00 Native Same old Time
Radiant Positions at Nighttime Native Same old Time
Radiant Positions at 05:00 Native Same old Time
Those resources of meteoric job are anticipated to be energetic this week
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The February Hydrids (FHY) are a up to date discovery via the CAMS device of meteor cameras underneath the route of Dr. Peter Jenniskens. Those meteors are energetic from February 9-17, which most job going on on February 14th. The present radiant place is 08:02 (121) +03. This place lies in japanese Canis Minor, 5 levels southeast of the zero-magnitude megastar referred to as Procyon (alpha Canis Minoris). This house of the sky is best possible positioned for viewing close to 23:00 native same old time (LST) when it lies absolute best within the southern sky. Anticipated hourly charges are not up to 1 regardless of your location. With an access speed of 16 km/sec., those meteors would possess an excessively gradual speed.
The huge Anthelion (ANT) radiant is these days focused at 10:12 (153) +11. This place lies in western Leo, 1 stage southeast of the first magnitude megastar referred to as Regulus (alpha Leonis). This radiant is best possible positioned close to 01:00 LST when it lies at the meridian and is absolute best within the southern sky. Charges at the moment must be close to 2 consistent with hour as observed from the northern hemisphere and 1 consistent with hour as observed from south of the equator. With an access speed of 30 km/sec., the typical Anthelion meteor could be of gradual speed.
The alpha Centaurids (ACE) are an abnormal bathe that doesn’t appear to be energetic yearly. The Global Meteor Group checklist this bathe as energetic from February 3-20, with most job going on on February ninth. But contemporary video information from the southern hemisphere has but to spot the sort of radiant. This case must change into extra transparent as extra information is won from south of the equator. I’d recommend that attainable observers observe the southern skies even though February twentieth for any indicators of those meteors. The radiant is anticipated to be situated at 14:04 (211) -58. This place lies in southeastern Centaurus, 4 levels south of the first magnitude megastar referred to as Hadar (beta Centauri). Because of the southern declination of this radiant, those meteors don’t seem to be observed north of latitude 30 north. Present hourly charges are anticipated to be not up to 1 as observed from the northern hemisphere and in all probability as much as 5 within the southern hemisphere. Those meteors are best possible observed close to 05:00 LST when the radiant lies absolute best above the southern horizon. At 59 km/sec. the alpha Centaurids would produce most commonly swift meteors.
Sporadic meteors are the ones meteors that can’t be related to any recognized meteor bathe. All meteor showers are evolving and disperse over the years to the purpose the place they’re not recognizable. Clear of the peaks of the foremost annual showers, those sporadic meteors make up the majority of the job observed every night time. As observed from the mid-Northern Hemisphere (45N), one would be expecting to look throughout this era roughly 6 sporadic meteors consistent with hour throughout the final hour sooner than first light as observed from rural looking at websites. Night time charges could be close to 1 consistent with hour. As observed from the tropical Southern latitudes (25S), morning charges could be close to 10 consistent with hour as observed from rural looking at websites and a pair of consistent with hour throughout the night time hours. Places between those two extremes would see job between those indexed figures. Night time charges are diminished because of moonlight.
The checklist under provides the guidelines in tabular type of the showers that I believe are inside of succeed in of the visible observer to discern. Hourly charges are regularly not up to one, so those resources are infrequently indexed as visible goals in maximum meteor bathe lists. In case you are like me and want to affiliate as many meteors as conceivable with recognized resources, then you are going to admire those listings. Sooner than checklist meteors from those difficult to understand resources, you must try to turn out those meteors belong to them and don’t seem to be probability alignments of sporadic meteors. You’ll be able to notice parameters akin to length, duration, radiant distance and the elevation of every meteor to lend a hand compute the likelihood of bathe affiliation. It must be remembered that gradual meteors can also be observed from rapid showers, however rapid meteors can’t be made out of gradual showers. Slower showers are the ones with velocities not up to 35/km consistent with 2nd. Gradual meteors can seem from rapid showers after they seem with reference to the radiant or low within the sky. The desk situated on web page 22 of the IMO’s 2025 Meteor Bathe Calendar is a large lend a hand in assisting within the id of meteors. In the event you document the duration and length of every meteor, you’ll use this chart to test the likelihood of the meteor belonging to a bath of recognized speed. If the angular speed is very similar to the determine within the desk, then your meteor almost definitely belongs to that bathe. Charges and positions are actual for Saturday night time/Sunday morning.
SHOWER
DATE OF MAXIMUM ACTIVITY
CELESTIAL POSITION
ENTRY VELOCITY
CULMINATION
HOURLY RATE
CLASS
RA (RA in Deg.) DEC
Km/Sec
Native Same old Time
North-South
February Hydrids (FHY)
Feb 14
08:02 (121) +03
16
23:00
<1 – <1
II
Anthelion (ANT)
–
09:40 (145) +14
30
01:00
2 – 1
II
alpha Centaurids (ACE)
Feb 09
13:28 (202) -56
56
06:00
<1 – 5?
III
You’ll be able to stay monitor of the job of those meteor showers in addition to the ones past the boundaries of visible looking at via visiting the NASA Meteor Bathe Portal. You’ll be able to transfer the sky globe to look other spaces of the sky. Coloured dots point out bathe meteors whilst white dots point out sporadic (random) job. The huge orange disk signifies the location of the solar so little job will probably be observed in that house of the sky.
Elegance Clarification: A scale to crew meteor showers via their depth:
Elegance I: the most powerful annual showers with Zenith Hourly Charges most often ten or higher.
Elegance II: dependable minor showers with ZHR’s most often two to 10.
Elegance III: showers that don’t supply annual job. Those showers are infrequently energetic but have the prospective to provide a big show sometimes.
Elegance IV: vulnerable minor showers with ZHR’s infrequently exceeding two. The learn about of those showers is best possible left to skilled observers who use plotting and angular speed estimates to resolve bathe affiliation. Those vulnerable showers also are excellent goals for video and photographic paintings. Observers with much less revel in are advised to restrict their bathe associations to showers with a score of I to III.
Tags: Alpha Centaurids Anthelion Meteors February Hydrids February Meteor Job February Meteor Showers Meteors
