February offers the meteor observer in the northern hemisphere a couple of weak
showers plus falling sporadic rates. This may not
seem too exiting but you never know when surprises are in store. An errant
earthgrazer from the Centaurid complex may shoot
northward. Better yet, a bright fireball may light up the sky. February is the
start of the fireball season, when an abundance of
fireballs seem to occur. This lasts well into April and seems to occur mostly
during the early evening hours.

Observers in the southern hemisphere are treated to the Alpha Centaurid peak on
the 8th plus the entire Centaurid complex of
radiants is active all month long. Sporadic rates are slightly less than those
seen in January, but still stronger than those
witnessed north of the equator.

During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Saturday January 30th. At
this time the moon will be in the sky all night long
making meteor observing difficult at best. As the week progresses the moon will
rise later and later in the evening offering a few
hours of dark sky between the end of evening twilight and moonrise. The
estimated total hourly rates for evening observers this week
is near one for those in the northern hemisphere and two for those south of the
equator. For morning observers the estimated total
hourly rates should be near eight from the northern hemisphere and ten as seen
from the southern hemisphere. The actual rates will
also depend on factors such as personal light and motion perception, local
weather conditions, alertness and experience in watching
meteor activity. Meteor rates this week are reduced by strong moonlight.

The radiant positions and rates listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday
morning January 30/31. These positions do not
change greatly day to day so the listed coordinates may be used during this
entire period. Most star atlases (available at science
stores and planetariums) will provide maps with grid lines of the celestial
coordinates so that you may find out exactly where these
positions are located in the sky. A planisphere or computer planetarium program
is also useful in showing the sky at any time of
night on any date of the year. Activity from each radiant is best seen when it
is positioned highest in the sky, either due north or
south along the meridian, depending on your latitude. It must be remembered that
meteor activity is rarely seen at the radiant
position. Rather they shoot outwards from the radiant so it is best to center
your field of view so that the radiant lies at the
edge and not the center. Viewing there will allow you to easily trace the path
of each meteor back to the radiant (if it is a shower
member) or in another direction if it is a sporadic. Meteor activity is not seen
from radiants that are located below the horizon.
The positions below are listed in a west to east manner in order of right
ascension (celestial longitude). The positions listed
first are located further west therefore are accessible earlier in the night
while those listed further down the list rise later in
the night.

The full descriptions of each active meteor shower will continue next week when
the moon becomes less of a nuisance to observers.

The list below presents a condensed version of the expected activity this week.
Rates and positions are exact for Saturday
night/Sunday morning.

Antihelion (ANT)) - 09:36 (144) +13 Velocity - 30km/sec.
Northern Hemisphere - 2 per hr. Southern Hemisphere - 1 per hr.

December Leonis Minorids (DLM) - 13:12 (198) +12 Velocity - 64km/sec.
Northern Hemisphere - <1 per hr. Southern Hemisphere - <1 per hr.

Alpha Centaurids (ACE) - 13:20 (200) -57 Velocity - 56km/sec.
Northern Hemisphere - <1 per hr. Southern Hemisphere - 1 per hr.

Clear Skies!
Robert Lunsford
International Meteor Organization