FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Lunar Meteor Impacts

[Jeff Hopkins <phxjeff@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

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IMPACT ALERT--03 AUGUST 2005
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LUNAR PERSEID OBSERVING OPPORTUNITY

On 12 August 2005 the nearly First Quarter moon will
be favorably placed in Earth's skies to receive
impacts from the reliable annual Perseid meteor
shower. This shower, from Earth-based locales,
produces rates of 100 or more meteors per hour at
peak. In addition, a team of Japanese astronomers last
year confirmed a Perseid meteor impact, the first such
non-Leonid Confirmation ever recorded.

Observers are encouraged to monitor the dark half of
the moon closely from August 10th to 14th, and
especially on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. The primary
terrestrial peak is 19:09UT on 12 August, with the
Moon intersecting the peak some 6 to 7 hours later
(which makes for favorable lunar observing on the
evening of the 12th for eastern N and S America).

This is the first good opportunity for lunar meteor
impact observation in quite some time. A handful of
candidates have been reported over the past year, but
none of them have been confirmed. Perhaps we can
increase the number of confirmed events with the
upcoming opportunity as well as help probe the
structure and size spectrum of the objects of the
Perseid stream.

Brian Cudnik
Coordinator, ALPO Lunar Meteoritic Impact Search
Section

-- 
Jeff Hopkins
HPO SOFT
Hopkins Phoenix Observatory
http://www.hposoft.com/Astro/astro.html

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                                www.hposoft.com
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