The Aurigid Meteor Shower

In September of 2007, Earth will once again get to view the rare occurrence of the Aurigid Meteor Shower.

The Aurigid meteor shower is not as well known as many other meteor showers, such as the Lyrids meteor shower or the Perseids meteor shower, but it is still still spectacular in it's own right. The Alpha Aurigids meteor shower occurs between August 25-September 8, generally peaking on September first.

The Aurigid Meteor shower is caused by the earth passing through the particles left behind by the Comet Kiess. The Comet Kiess is a long period comet, that only visits our inner solar system rarely. Comet Kiess takes about 2,500 years to make its orbit around the sun. It is believed to have last visited our solar system in 83 BC.

Earth has encountered the debris stream from the Comet Kiess at least three times in the past century, in 1935, 1986 and 1994. In 2007, we will encounter the debris stream again, and scientists and astronomers are hopeful that this will be an extraordinary shower. While other meteor showers such as the Perseids meteor shower are generally very dependable, the Aurigid meteor shower is quite unpredictable. One never quite knows what the Aurigid meteor shower will bring.

Scientists are hopeful that even though the shower Aurigid meteor shower will only last for about an hour and a half, and the moon will be extremely bright, the meteors will still be able to be seen quite well. Meteors from past Aurigid showers have been rated in brightness from a -2 to +3 magnitude, which are relatively bright and easy to see. This is of course, pure speculation on the scientists part, and the Aurigid meteor shower may very well end up being more of a drizzle than a shower. If the shower is as brilliant as scientists hope for, those that are able to view the Aurigid meteor shower are in for quite a treat.

Because Comet Kiess is a long period comet, it makes the Aurigid meteors extremely spectacular. Comet Kiess spends so much of its time in the outer reaches of the solar system, that the sun rarely reaches its particles. This creates the meteors of the Aurigids to leave a beautiful blue-green streak through the sky.

On average, the ZHR of the Aurigid meteor shower is only 7. The ZHR is the number of meteors that you can see in one hour, in optimum conditions of a clear and dark sky. The ZHR is also dependent upon whether the radiant of the shower is in the zenith. The radiant is the place in the sky where the meteors will appear to originate from. In the case of the Aurigid meteor shower, the radiant is the constellation of Auriga, or the Charioteer. By locating the constellation of Auriga on a star chart, and then finding it in the night sky, you will have a better idea of where to look to be able to view the Aurigid meteor shower.

Astronomers predict that the Aurigid meteor shower will be best viewed from the western United States, such as California, Hawaii and Alaska, as well as from western Mexico and western provinces in Canada. The best viewing time is thought to be in the early morning hours, around 4 a.m. PDT. The ability to view the Aurigid meteor shower with the naked eye will last for no more than about one and a half to two hours at that time.

Hopefully, the Aurigid meteor shower will live up to its expectations, and provide us with an almost once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to view it. Earths encounter with the Aurigid meteor shower will more than likely not occur again in our life times, though our children may be able to experience it at some point in the future. If you live in an area that is optimum for viewing, the Aurigid meteor shower is definitely an event that you should not miss.

Sources:
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20198281/
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/060817_meteor_shower.html
http://www.universetoday.com/2007/08/09/aurigid-meteor-shower-september-1/