FIGURE 1. Mosaic of summed video frames with June Bootid meteors observed during 07:30 - 12:00 UT, 2004 June 23. Image: Peter Jenniskens, SETI Institute
JUNE BOOTID OUTBURST OBSERVED
An outburst of very slow June Bootid meteors was observed from about June 22 19h UT
until June 24 01h UT (ZHR > 1/hr), peaking at a rate of ZHR ~ 30/hr at 11ÿý2 h
UT, June 23.
The event was predicted by Sergey Shanov and Sergey Dubrovsky, and also
studied by Mikiya Sato and Jeremie Vaubaillon, the latter at IMCCE, and
is the result of Earth passing through a cluster of dust trails of
7P/Pons-Winnecke ejected in the returns of 1819, 1825, and 1830. The
theoretical radiant was calculated at RA = 223.0, Decl. = +47.1 (Vg =
14.14 km/s) by Sato.
The figure is a compilation of video records of the outburst, obtained with the
BETSY spectrograph by Peter Jenniskens from Mountain View, CA. All meteors
are small samples of comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke that spent less than 200 years
in interplanetary space.
The meteors were mostly yellow in color, and three low-resolution
spectra detected show a strong sodium line, a weak magnesium line, and a
continuum with a relatively small contribution from the first positive system
of N2.
The outburst occurred during the SOFIA Upper
Deck Science Opportunities workshop held at NASA Ames June 22 and 23.
The observation of such meteor outbursts was proposed as one example of research
that could be pursued from SOFIA's Upper Deck in the future.
Previous news items:
2004:
June 25 - June Bootid outburst observed
2003:
Dec 30 - Quadrantid parent comet observed
Dec 28 - Good Quadrantid show on 2004 Jan 04
Dec 08 - Quadrantid parent discovered
2002:
Nov 23 - "Shock" confirmed
Nov 22 - New molecular band detected
Nov 21 - Leonids tracked
Nov 20 - Asteroids named after Leonid MAC participants
Nov 19 - Leonid storms rich in faint meteors
Oct 22 - Collecting meteoroid debris from snow cover
Oct 21 - Highlights COSPAR/World Space Congress
Aug 31 - First UV spectrum: Leonid from space
2001:
Dec 11 - Shocking Leonid
Dec 01 - Moon impacts
Nov 26 - Near-IR persistent train emission
Nov 24 - Results of near-real time flux measurements
Nov 22 - Wowh! Optical meteor spectra
2000:
Dec. 25 - Ursid shower circular IMO
Dec. 24 - Ursid shows early release of sodium
Dec. 23 - Ursid outburst confirmed
Dec. 18 - Dec 22 Ursid outburst
Nov. 20 - A bacterial fingerprint?
Nov. 15 - HCN disappears mysteriously
Nov. 14 - Meteor shower from space
Nov. 13 - Organic fingerprint
Nov. 12 - Train airglow chemistry
Nov. 11 - Hard bits and persisting glows
Nov. 10 - Meteoroid debris detected
Nov. 09 - New meteor picture
Nov. 08 - Spin city
Nov. 07 - Meteors affect atmospheric chemistry
Nov. 06 - Listen to this!
Nov. 04 - Fear of heights?
Nov. 03 - The pale (infra-red) dot
Nov. 02 - Twin showers
Nov. 01 - Leonids approaching Earth
Oct. 31 - Prospects for Moon Impact Studies
Oct. 30 - Comet dust crumbled less fine
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