Apr 26/27 to May 15/16 Meteors

April/May/June are usually clear months in Tucson and this year is setting up to be no different. Though bouts of cirrus are common, every night but one has been clear enough to allow the detection of a few meteors.

The past few weeks have seen a couple of showers come and go. Two minor showers, the Nu Cygnids and Northern May Ophiuchids, produced only 2 meteors apiece. These showers are recent discoveries and little is known about each. The Eta Lyrids produced 1-2 meteors per night at its best. This shower is produced by the long-period Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock which passed closer to Earth than any other observed comet over the past 200 years (5 million km in May of 1983).

The highlight of May was the Eta Aquariids. Similar to the Orionids of October, the Eta Aquariids are produced by Comet Halley. This year’s display was hampered by a bright early morning Moon but still produced healthy numbers during the last hour or 2 of each early May night.

Obs  Date(UT)      Time    TOT SPO ANT PPU NCY ETA ELY NOP
TUS  2010-05-16   08h08m    10  8   1   -   -   1   -   -
TUS  2010-05-15   01h39m    3   3   0   -   -   0   -   -
TUS  2010-05-14   05h31m    8   5   1   -   -   1   1   -
TUS  2010-05-13   05h32m    12  8   1   -   -   1   1   0
TUS  2010-05-12   08h29m    15  8   1   -   -   4   2   0
TUS  2010-05-11   08h30m    22  13  3   -   -   4   2   0
TUS  2010-05-10   08h32m    9   3   1   -   -   2   2   1
TUS  2010-05-09   08h14m    12  6   1   -   -   5   0   0
TUS  2010-05-08   04h06m    13  8   1   -   -   3   0   1
TUS  2010-05-07   08h37m    18  10  0   -   -   8   0   0
TUS  2010-05-06   04h49m    15  9   0   -   -   6   0   -
TUS  2010-05-05   08h41m    11  4   1   -   0   6   -   -
TUS  2010-05-04   08h43m    7   1   0   -   1   5   -   -
TUS  2010-05-03   07h27m    14  10  0   -   0   4   -   -
TUS  2010-05-02   07h41m    5   2   2   -   0   1   -   -
TUS  2010-05-01   08h49m    12  9   2   -   0   1   -   -
TUS  2010-04-30   00h45m    3   2   0   -   0   1   -   - 
TUS  2010-04-29   08h52m    8   4   0   -   1   3   -   -
TUS  2010-04-28   00h00m    Bad Weather
TUS  2010-04-27   00h48m    2   2   0   0   0   -   -   -

TUS - Camera in Tucson operated by Carl Hergenrother
SDG - Camera in San Diego operated by Bob Lunsford
TotTime - Total amount of time each camera looked for meteors
TOT - Total number of meteors detected
SPO - Sporadics (meteors not affiliated with any particular meteor shower)
ANT - Antihelions
PPU - Pi Puppids
NCY - Nu Cygnids
ETA - Eta Aquariids
ELY - Eta Lyrids
NOP - Northern May Ophiuchids