Open AccessThe 1998 outburst and history of the June Boötid meteor shower
Author(s) -
Arlt R.,
Rendtel J.,
Brown P.,
Velkov V.,
Hocking W. K.,
Jones J.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02755.x
Subject(s) - meteor shower , meteoroid , physics , meteor (satellite) , astrophysics , orbital period , population , astronomy , photometry (optics) , apparent magnitude , stars , demography , sociology
The June Boötid meteor shower (sometimes referred to as the Draconids) surprised a number of regular and casual observers by an outburst with maximum zenithal hourly rates (ZHRs) near 100 on 1998 June 27 after a quiescent period of several decades. A total of 1217 June Boötid meteors were recorded during regular visual meteor observations throughout this outburst. An average population index of r =2.2±0.10 was derived from 1054 shower magnitude estimates. The broad activity profile with ZHR>40 lasting more than 12 h and the large spread of apparent radiants in 1998 resemble the 1916 and 1927 outbursts. The peak time is found to be at about λ ⊙ =95°.7 (2000.0); peak ZHRs are of the order of 200, whereas reliable averages reach only 81±7. The period of high ZHRs covered by a single observer implies a full width at half‐maximum of 3–4 h. The resulting maximum flux of particles causing meteors brighter than +6.5 mag is between 0.04 and 0.06 km −2 h −1 . The average radiant from photographic, radar and visual records is α =224°.12, δ =+47°.77. The observed activity outbursts in 1916, 1927 and 1998 are not related to the orbital period or the perihelion passages of the parent comet 7P/Pons–Winnecke. These are probably a consequence of the effects of the 2:1 resonance with Jupiter.