American Meteor Society
Radiant Locations at 7pm
Radiant Locations at Midnight
Radiant Locations at 5am
During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Monday February 25th. At this time the moon will be located opposite the sun and will be in the sky all night long. As the week progresses the moon will rise a little later each evening but there is little meteor activity to be seen during the dark evening hours. The estimated total hourly meteor rates for evening observers this week is near one for observers located at mid-northern latitudes and three for observers in mid-southern latitudes. For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates should be near three from the mid-northern hemisphere and seven from the mid-southern hemisphere. The actual rates will also depend on factors such as personal light and motion perception, local weather conditions, alertness and experience in watching meteor activity. Rates are reduced during this entire period due to intense moonlight.
The radiant (the area of the sky where meteors appear to shoot from) positions and rates listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning February 23/24. These positions do not change greatly day to day so the listed coordinates may be used during this entire period. Most star atlases (available at science stores and planetariums) will provide maps with grid lines of the celestial coordinates so that you may find out exactly where these positions are located in the sky. A planisphere or computer planetarium program is also useful in showing the sky at any time of night on any date of the year. Activity from each radiant is best seen when it is positioned highest in the sky, either due north or south along the meridian, depending on your latitude. It must be remembered that meteor activity is rarely seen at the radiant position. Rather they shoot outwards from the radiant so it is best to center your field of view so that the radiant lies at the edge and not the center. Viewing there will allow you to easily trace the path of each meteor back to the radiant (if it is a shower member) or in another direction if it is a sporadic. Meteor activity is not seen from radiants that are located below the horizon. The positions below are listed in a west to east manner in order of right ascension (celestial longitude). The positions listed first are located further west therefore are accessible earlier in the night while those listed further down the list rise later in the night.
The table below presents a condensed version of the expected activity this week. Rates and positions are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning . Details of each shower will again be provided next week when the situation with interfering moonlight improves.
| SHOWER | DATE OF MAXIMUM ACTIVITY | CELESTIAL POSITION | ENTRY VELOCITY | CULMINATION | HOURLY RATE | CLASS |
| RA (RA in Deg.) DEC | Km/Sec | Local Standard Time | North-South | |||
| Antihelions (ANT) | – | 11:12 (168) +04 | 30 | 01:00 | 1 – 1 | II |
| IMO #35 | Mar 04 | 16:39 (250) +49 | 40 | 06:00 | <1 – <1 | IV |
there was a large meteor shower coming from the southeast going to the northwest. it was sporadic with the amount of meteors but they were going in the same direction in a straight line. they appeared to be low in altitude and as they headed northwest they were losing intensity. the color was red, yellow and orange.
On fox 59 in Indianapolis posted a short story on 2-25-13 and a video of a possable meteorite in Indiana but they never followed through on whether it was confirmed. Multiple people commented saying they saw it too! if you could find any solid info please let me know!
thank you
Hello Holly, I just tried to report an event to Mr Lunsford about an orange ball that I inadvertantly caught in my cell phone while trying to capture the full moon on 2/25 ay about 7:35pm. Please let me know if you find out anything. I’m not a techo savvy person but have a picture I can share from my cell phone. Thanks Joyce
Holly- I was in Jeffersonville, IN at the time and a friend said she saw one too but thought it was more pink in color who is in the new albany area. Forgot to add this. Joyce
if you still have that pic could you please send it to me? hollie.wyatt@yahoo.com Thanks
Large meteor shower over central Gulf of Mexico in the first minutes after 3 am, south-south west to north-northeast. Quite alarming even in the full moon.Perhaps a dozen visible racing across.
any reports in nova scotia for last night feb 26, 2013? i saw something around 5;30 pm whle still light out that looked like a large bright ball with smoke behind it. took a picture but it was fairly far away by then but still visible