Posted by: JaMaPh
shooting stars TONITE - 07/28/06 06:07 PM
Hey ladies, The South Delta Aquarids start shooting tonight.
So get out your binocs and sit out where there's little to no clouds. when the moon comes up, look away from it.
From:
http://skytour.homestead.com/met2006.html
Best viewing window: Any morning between July 28-31 (Friday through Monday mornings). 1:00-4:00am local daylight time would probably be the best hours.
Recommended for: Anyone with a dark site and a desire to see some meteors.
The South Delta Aquarids are barely a major shower from 40 degrees N. They are part of a complex of radiants in Aquarius, Capricornus and Piscis Austrinus, all of which combine with sporadic and early Perseid activity to provide a nice display of meteors on moonless mornings in late July. The stream normally produces about 5-10 meteors/hour, with overall activity of about 30/hour under good conditions.
The South Delta Aquarids are medium-speed meteors, and tend to be faint on average. Meteors from this stream are easily confused with those of several minor showers with nearby radiants. The Piscis Austrinids have a radiant near the bright star Fomalhaut, and the weak North Delta Aquarids have a radiant in central Aquarius during this period. A weak, diffuse radiant called the "anthelion" or "eclipticids" is also nearby. Farther west is the Alpha Capricornid radiant, which produces slower, often impressive meteors. You may not be able to assign every shower meteor to its correct radiant, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the show!
The faintness of most of this activity and the large number of faint sporadics mean that a dark sky is almost essential to the appreciation of this late-July enhancement of meteor rates. Southern observers will see higher rates, as the radiants are higher in their sky. All observers will see their best rates in the early morning hours.
So get out your binocs and sit out where there's little to no clouds. when the moon comes up, look away from it.
From:
http://skytour.homestead.com/met2006.html
Best viewing window: Any morning between July 28-31 (Friday through Monday mornings). 1:00-4:00am local daylight time would probably be the best hours.
Recommended for: Anyone with a dark site and a desire to see some meteors.
The South Delta Aquarids are barely a major shower from 40 degrees N. They are part of a complex of radiants in Aquarius, Capricornus and Piscis Austrinus, all of which combine with sporadic and early Perseid activity to provide a nice display of meteors on moonless mornings in late July. The stream normally produces about 5-10 meteors/hour, with overall activity of about 30/hour under good conditions.
The South Delta Aquarids are medium-speed meteors, and tend to be faint on average. Meteors from this stream are easily confused with those of several minor showers with nearby radiants. The Piscis Austrinids have a radiant near the bright star Fomalhaut, and the weak North Delta Aquarids have a radiant in central Aquarius during this period. A weak, diffuse radiant called the "anthelion" or "eclipticids" is also nearby. Farther west is the Alpha Capricornid radiant, which produces slower, often impressive meteors. You may not be able to assign every shower meteor to its correct radiant, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the show!
The faintness of most of this activity and the large number of faint sporadics mean that a dark sky is almost essential to the appreciation of this late-July enhancement of meteor rates. Southern observers will see higher rates, as the radiants are higher in their sky. All observers will see their best rates in the early morning hours.
