A long-term high-resolution study of the visual activity curve of the Perseid meteor stream 1953-1983
(2000) In Planetary and Space Science 48(10). p.905-909- Abstract
- Perseid and sporadic meteor hourly rates and magnitudes observed in 1953-1983 by a team of visual observers at the Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden, are analysed. A high-resolution study of the zenithal hourly rates of bright Perseid meteors /(m<=2.5) versus solar longitude has been made using a step length of /0.05° in solar longitude. The present study, which is based on 147 Perseid hourly rates, observed between solar longitudes /138.70°-/141.65° (equinox 2000) covers the period of maximum Perseid activity. Somewhat surprisingly it reveals a multi-peak structure of the Perseid maximum with at least four separate peaks in the activity curve of bright Perseids. The first peak located at /139.38° corresponds to the crossing of the nodal... (More)
- Perseid and sporadic meteor hourly rates and magnitudes observed in 1953-1983 by a team of visual observers at the Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden, are analysed. A high-resolution study of the zenithal hourly rates of bright Perseid meteors /(m<=2.5) versus solar longitude has been made using a step length of /0.05° in solar longitude. The present study, which is based on 147 Perseid hourly rates, observed between solar longitudes /138.70°-/141.65° (equinox 2000) covers the period of maximum Perseid activity. Somewhat surprisingly it reveals a multi-peak structure of the Perseid maximum with at least four separate peaks in the activity curve of bright Perseids. The first peak located at /139.38° corresponds to the crossing of the nodal plane of the parent comet, the second at /139.68° is the so-called ``new'' Perseid maximum, the third peak at /140.20° is the ``old'' or ``traditional'' maximum of the shower, while the fourth peak although less intense than the previous three peaks indicates a well-defined activity maximum centred on /140.78°. It is interesting to note that, for bright Perseids, the nodal maximum is of the same intensity as the ``new'' and ``old'' maxima, but is of a somewhat shorter duration than these two maxima. A similar study of the activity curve of all observed Perseid meteors (i.e. independent of apparent magnitude) shows the same multi-peak structure, but with slightly less pronounced peaks. In a previous study of the Perseid activity curve based on 605 photographic Perseid orbits obtained in various two-station programs 1937-1985 the multi-peak structure can be recognised in a number versus solar longitude diagram (Lindblad and Porubcan, /1994. Planet Space Sci. 42, 117-122.). The various peaks in the photographic data are located at the same solar longitudes as in the visual data. This agreement between the results of the present long-term visual study and a long-term photographic study of the Perseid activity curve strongly supports our conclusions as to the multi-peak structure of the Perseid shower. (Less)
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- author
- Lindblad, Bertil Anders LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2000
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Planetary and Space Science
- volume
- 48
- issue
- 10
- pages
- 905 - 909
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:0346483175
- ISSN
- 1873-5088
- DOI
- 10.1016/S0032-0633(00)00055-6
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 3658d651-616c-488e-8c7e-eb740977f1f0 (old id 1890907)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 12:10:18
- date last changed
- 2024-01-08 10:57:25
@article{3658d651-616c-488e-8c7e-eb740977f1f0,
abstract = {{Perseid and sporadic meteor hourly rates and magnitudes observed in 1953-1983 by a team of visual observers at the Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden, are analysed. A high-resolution study of the zenithal hourly rates of bright Perseid meteors /(m<=2.5) versus solar longitude has been made using a step length of /0.05° in solar longitude. The present study, which is based on 147 Perseid hourly rates, observed between solar longitudes /138.70°-/141.65° (equinox 2000) covers the period of maximum Perseid activity. Somewhat surprisingly it reveals a multi-peak structure of the Perseid maximum with at least four separate peaks in the activity curve of bright Perseids. The first peak located at /139.38° corresponds to the crossing of the nodal plane of the parent comet, the second at /139.68° is the so-called ``new'' Perseid maximum, the third peak at /140.20° is the ``old'' or ``traditional'' maximum of the shower, while the fourth peak although less intense than the previous three peaks indicates a well-defined activity maximum centred on /140.78°. It is interesting to note that, for bright Perseids, the nodal maximum is of the same intensity as the ``new'' and ``old'' maxima, but is of a somewhat shorter duration than these two maxima. A similar study of the activity curve of all observed Perseid meteors (i.e. independent of apparent magnitude) shows the same multi-peak structure, but with slightly less pronounced peaks. In a previous study of the Perseid activity curve based on 605 photographic Perseid orbits obtained in various two-station programs 1937-1985 the multi-peak structure can be recognised in a number versus solar longitude diagram (Lindblad and Porubcan, /1994. Planet Space Sci. 42, 117-122.). The various peaks in the photographic data are located at the same solar longitudes as in the visual data. This agreement between the results of the present long-term visual study and a long-term photographic study of the Perseid activity curve strongly supports our conclusions as to the multi-peak structure of the Perseid shower.}},
author = {{Lindblad, Bertil Anders}},
issn = {{1873-5088}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{10}},
pages = {{905--909}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Planetary and Space Science}},
title = {{A long-term high-resolution study of the visual activity curve of the Perseid meteor stream 1953-1983}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0032-0633(00)00055-6}},
doi = {{10.1016/S0032-0633(00)00055-6}},
volume = {{48}},
year = {{2000}},
}