(meteorobs) WG-PACM Alert: October 8 Draconids

To: meteorobs@latrade.com
Subject: (meteorobs) WG-PACM Alert: October 8 Draconids
From: richardson@digitalexp.com (Jim Richardson)
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 1997 23:10:12 -0500
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SGI.3.96.971006082659.26722A-100000@Gepard.Informatik .RWTH-Aachen.DE>
Reply-To: meteorobs@latrade.com
Sender: owner-meteorobs

The following notice was circulated to members of the IAU C-22 Working
Group on Professional-Amateur Collaboration in Meteor Science (WG-PACM) by
Peter Jenniskens, the WG chair:



October 8 Draconids. 

An interesting event, coming up October 8, is the Draconid meteor
shower. Comet Giacobini-Zinner, the parent, is expected to return to
perihelion in 1998. In the past, some meteor outbursts have been reported
when Earth was before the comet and outside of the comet orbit. It is
not clear if any Draconid activity will occur this year, but the return
asks for close monitoring. The Earth will pass the orbit of the comet
at 15h UT on October 8. Of particular interest are:
- flux and magnitude distributions in the days around that time
- flux and magnitude distributions in the hours around that time
- orbits: precise orbital elements of Draconid meteoroids
- fragmentation: video imaging of the trails at high spatial resolution
The stream is a target of ongoing studies of meteor outburts at NASA/Ames
Research Center. Contact: Peter Jenniskens (peter@max.arc.nasa.gov) 

--------------------

While observers in the western Pacific and Asia will be the most favored
for this potential activity, all observers are encouraged to monitor for
activity from the shower over the next night or two.

Thank you,

     Jim Richardson


James Richardson
Graceville, Florida
richardson@digitalexp.com

Operations Manager / Radiometeor Project Coordinator
American Meteor Society (AMS)
http://www.serve.com/meteors/

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