Meteor Activity Outlook for March 17-23, 2006

With the arrival of March, we reach the nadir of meteor activity for the year. No matter your location, March has the lowest mean meteor rates of any month of the year. The only reasonable activity is produced by the Eclipticid radiant, now located in Virgo. Even this activity is only 2-3 shower members at best. At least this is one of the prime times for fireballs. From February through April, fireballs are frequently reported during the evening hours.

The moon reaches its last quarter phase on Wednesday March 22. This weekend and for the remainder of this period, the moon will be present in the sky most of the night, limiting the meteor activity to be seen. The sources of meteors listed below are active during this period but will be difficult to observe. If your sky is transparent and the limiting magnitude exceeds +5.0, then you may be able to achieve some success at observing during this period. The estimated total hourly rates for evening observers this week is near two for those in the Northern Hemisphere and three for those located in the Southern Hemisphere. For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates should be near four for those located in the Northern Hemisphere and six for those in the Southern Hemisphere. These rates assume that you are watching from rural areas away from all sources of light pollution. 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. Rates are reduced this week due to moonlight.

The full listing will continue next week when the moon passes its last quarter phase and is not such a nuisance to observers.

See the list below for active radiants this week:

Eclipticid (ECL) 12:44 (191) -03 Class II

Hourly Rate = N. Hemisphere 2 - S. Hemisphere 2

Gamma Normids (GNO) 17:00 (255) -50 Class II

Hourly Rate = N. Hemisphere >1 - S. Hemisphere 2

Clear Skies!