Meteoroid stream identification: a new approach ‐‐ II. Application to 865 photographic meteor orbits

The new criterion D N for meteoroid stream identification, based on variables directly linked to observations, is applied to a set of 865 photographic meteor orbits and the results are compared with those obtained using the well‐known and widely used D S criterion of Southworth & Hawkins, using thresholds for meteor association computed according to Jopek & Froeschlé. For 15 streams, including the Lyrids, the α Capricornids, the Perseids, the Taurids, the Quadrantids, the Geminids, the Leonids, the Orionids and the southern δ Aquarids, the two searches are in very good agreement, with D N often adding a few more members to some streams, at the same level of statistical significance as used for D SH . The Andromedids and the σ Leonids, identified as populous streams using D SH , are not recognized using D N ; on the other hand, using D N five additional streams are identified, namely the ɛ Geminids, the Monocerotids, the northern δ Aquarids and the rather populous α Virginids and ɛ Piscids. In general, D N gives results essentially equivalent to those obtained with D SH in many circumstances, the most notable exception being for near‐ecliptical streams, where the results differ markedly. We show also that the reduced distance function D R can be successfully applied to search for meteor showers resulting from the same meteoroid stream; in our study the Quadrantids and the southern and northern δ Aquarid showers have been identified as possibly being originated by a single meteoroid stream.