The November-December delta-Arietids and asteroid 1990 HA: on the trail of meteoroid stream with meteorite-sized members
Abstract
Four slow meteors among multistation video records obtained by Dutch Meteor Society in November 1995 have been tentatively associated with McCrosky & Posen's December delta-Arietids by de Lignie and Betlem. Greaves suggested a connection between these meteors and Near Earth Asteroid 1990 HA. This connection is strengthened in this contribution, and a meteor orbit search among the DMS photographic and video orbit databases and the IAU photographic orbit database employing Drummond's D' criterion yields many more members and is used here to redefine the delta-Arietids stream. The stream, which shows a northern and southern branch, appears active between at least November 15 and January 4 - an activity period of 1.5 months! The radiant area is very diffuse, some 20-30 deg wide, and close to that for the Taurid stream, from which meteors are only distinguished by being evidently slower. Dynamic data on a number of these delta-Arietid meteors obtained by the MORP project strengthen the case for an asteroidal source, as the inferred densities are similar to those typical of stony meteorites. With at least one suspected meteorite dropper, MORP 219, among the stream members, the stream indeed might be a possible source of meteorites. The stream has a daylight twin counterpart in March-April, of which one morning twilight member might have been photographed by the Prairie Networks in March 1968.
- Publication:
-
WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization
- Pub Date:
- December 2003
- Bibcode:
- 2003JIMO...31..177L