Arietids
The Arietids are a strong meteor shower that lasts from May 22 to July 2 each year, and peaks on June 7. The Arietids, along with the Zeta Perseids, are the most intense daylight meteor showers of the year.[3] The source of the shower is unknown, but scientists suspect that they come from the asteroid 1566 Icarus,[3][4] although the orbit also corresponds similarly to 96P/Machholz.[5]
Arietids | |
---|---|
Appearance of the eastern sky at 5:00 am on June 7, 2000 from a mid-northern latitude observing site. | |
Discovery date | 1947[1] |
Radiant | |
Constellation | Aries |
Right ascension | 03h 02m [2] |
Declination | +25° |
Properties | |
Occurs during | May 22 – June 24[2] |
Date of peak | June 7–8 |
Velocity | 39–41[3][2] km/s |
Zenithal hourly rate | 60 (radar)[1] |
First discovered at Jodrell Bank Observatory in England during the summer of 1947, the showers are caused when the Earth passes through a dense portion of two interplanetary meteoroid streams, producing an average of 60 shooting stars each hour, that originate in the sky from the constellation Scorpius and the constellation Perseus.[1] However, because both constellations are so close to the Sun when these showers reach their peak, the showers are difficult to view with the naked eye.[3] Some of the early meteors are visible in the very early hours of the morning, usually an hour before dawn.[6] The meteors strike Earth's atmosphere at speeds around 39 km/s.[3]
Date | Radiant | Degrees west of the Sun |
---|---|---|
May 18 | 01:48 (027) +21[7] | 26 (HD 10883) |
May 25 | 02:14 (034) +22 western Aries[8] | 26 (HD 13572) |
June 1 | 02:36 (039) +23 central Aries[9] | 27 (HD 16198) |
June 8 | 03:02 (046) +25 eastern Aries[2] | 28 (HD 18737) |
June 15 | 03:24 (051) +26[10] | 30 (60 Arietis) |
June 22 | 03:51 (058) +27 western Taurus[11] | 30 (HD 283022) |
By June 22 the radiant has migrated to the constellation Taurus (3h 51m +27) which is the same constellation that the Beta Taurids peak on June 28.[11]
References
- Gary Kronk. "Arietids". Meteor Showers Online. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
- Meteor Activity Outlook for June 8-14, 2019
- Tony Phillips (2000). "June's Invisible Meteors". NASA. Archived from the original on November 2, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
- "Daylight Meteors: The Arietids". spaceweather.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
- Ohtsuka, Katsuhito; Nakano, Syuichi; Yoshikawa, Makoto (2003). "On the Association among Periodic Comet 96P/Machholz, Arietids, the Marsden Comet Group, and the Kracht Comet Group". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 55 (1): 321–324. doi:10.1093/pasj/55.1.321.
- James Turley (1999). "Listen...to the Arietids!!". The Astronomy Connection. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
- Meteor Activity Outlook for May 18-24, 2019
- Meteor Activity Outlook for May 25-31, 2019
- Meteor Activity Outlook for June 1-7, 2019
- Meteor Activity Outlook for June 15-21, 2019
- Meteor Activity Outlook for June 22-28, 2019