Discovery of the February Eta Draconids (FED, IAU#427): the dust trail of a potentially hazardous long-period comet
Abstract
A previously unknown shower was detected on 2011 February 4, during routine low-light-level video triangulations with NASA's Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance (CAMS) project in California between 02h20m and 14h20m UT. During that time interval, six meteors radiated from a compact geocentric radiant at R.A.= 239.92 +- 0.50 deg, Decl.= 62.49 +- 0.22 deg, with speed V_g = 35.58 +- 0.34 km/s. The times of arrival for the meteors were 06h25m, 07h59m, 10h49m, 11h18m, 12h14m and 13h33m UT, suggesting that the outburst peaked around 11h UT (solar longitude = 315.1 deg) and had a duration of at least 7 hours. The shower was not detected on the days prior to or after February 4. The meteors were in a narrow magnitude range, with peak visual magnitude of +2.1, +1.9, +2.6, +2.1, +2.3 and +2.4, respectively, moving from 103.6+-1.4 to 95.7+-1.5 km altitude. The mean meteoroid orbital elements derived from the radiant and speed are: q = (0.971+-0.001) AU, 1/a = (-0.004 +-0.025) AU^{-1}, i = 55.20+-0.34 deg, omega = 194.09+-0.35 deg, Omega = 315.07+-0.10 deg (one standard deviation). The orbital period of this shower is P > 53 y (three standard deviations), so that the meteoroids are likely the dust trail of a potentially hazardous long-period comet, which remains to be discovered.
- Publication:
-
WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization
- Pub Date:
- August 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011JIMO...39...93J