http://www.skyandtelescope.com.au 47by Con Stoitsis METEORSBest meteor showers of 2018
Plenty of activity awaits meteor watchers this year.
T
his will be a good year to catch
some of the best meteor showers
visible from our southern skies.
Let’s start with the anthelion (the
direction in the sky opposite to that
of the Sun), which, while not strictly
a meteor shower, is active during
January. The radiant is in south-east
Gemini, and crosses Cancer during
much of the month, before passing into
southern Leo for most of February. The
ZHR (zenithal hourly rate) for most of
January is expected to be around 5 to
6 meteors. They’re usually of medium
speed, and white in colour.
The Alpha Centaurids is a meteor
shower in the constellation Centaurus,
peaking on February 8 in 2018. A ZHR
of 4 to 7 meteors is predicted, with an
average magnitude of 2.5. The shower
is rich in bright meteors, and the
occasional fireball. The meteors are of
medium speed.
The Gamma Normids is active
from February 25 to March 28. The
peak this year will be on the morning
of March 14, with the radiant located
near the star Gamma^2 Normae in the
constellation Norma. ZHR is predicted
to be 4 to 8, with this shower known for
its bright and swift members.
The Eta Aquariids is active from
April to May, peaking on the morning
of May 6. The Moon will greatly affect
observations this year, so the predicted
ZHR is a modest 5 to 10. This shower
generally produces swift meteors of
yellow colour, and persistent trains are
often recorded.
The Southern Delta Aquariids is
active from July to August, peaking
on the morning of July 30. This year
the shower will be greatly affected by
the near-full Moon. In dark skies, you
might be able to see anywhere from 5
to 7 meteors per hour. The shower is
known for its faint and fast meteors.The Alpha Capricornids is active
from July to August, peaking on the
morning of July 29. This shower is well-
known for producing bright fireballs and
frequent bolide activity, and will be less
affected by the near-full Moon because
of this. The ZHR predicted for this year
is 2 to 3. It’s forecast to become a major
shower in the distant future.The Orionids will be active from
October to November, with several
peaks (such as October 16 and 22).
Although the Orionids can produce
10 to 20 meteors per hour in most
years, this year the approaching full
Moon will affect this rate significantly;
a more modest ZHR of 8 meteors is
predicted. This shower is also known to
produce meteors with persistent trails
and fireballs.
The Southern Taurids is active from
September to November, peaking on
October 10. This shower rarely has
more than 5 to 7 meteors per hour,even at its peak. However, it is known to
produce a lot of fireballs with long and
persistent trains.
The Northern Taurids is active from
October to December, peaking on the
morning of November 13. The shower
usually produces 7 meteors per hour.
They are often slow-moving, but can be
very bright, with the occasional fireball.
The Leonids will be active in
November, peaking on the morning of
the 18th. Although the shower produces
meteor storms every 33 years, a ZHR of
around 8 to 12 meteors is predicted for- The shower is known for its faint
and fast meteors.
The Geminids will be active in
December, peaking on the morning of
the 15th. In my opinion this is the best
meteor shower of the year. Its members
are often white and yellow, and bright.
Although the ZHR can exceed 120,
expect to see 40 to 45 per hour from a
dark sky. The 2018 peak happens one day
before the Moon reaches first quarter,
leaving half of the night in darkness.
■ CON STOITSIS is the director of the
Astronomical Society of Victoria’s comet
and meteor sections. He can be reached
at [email protected]“In my opinion this
is the best meteor shower
of the year.”JANUARY (dates in AEST)
2 Mercury, greatest elong. west (22.7º)
3 Earthatperihelion(0.9833a.u.)
4 Moon2.3ºsouthofBeehiveCluster
5 Moon 0.9º north of Regulus
7 Mars0.2ºsouthofJupiter
9 Venus at superior conjunction
11 Moon 4.7º north of Jupiter
13 Mercury 0.7º south of Saturn
15 Moon2.9ºnorthofSaturn
27 Moon0.7ºnorthofAldebaran
31 Moon2.3ºsouthofBeehiveCluster
31 Total lunar eclipseJANUARY (dates/times in UT)
Full Moon ...... 2nd, 02:24 UT
Last Quarter ...... 8th, 22:25 UT
New Moon ...... 17th, 02:17 UT
First Quarter ...... 24th, 22:20 UT
Full Moon ...... 31st, 13:27 UT
Perigee ...... 1st, 22h UT, 356,565 km
Apogee ...... 15th, 02h UT, 406,464 km
Perigee ...... 30th, 10h UT, 358,994 kmSKY PHENOMENA LUNAR PHENOMENA