Alpha Monocerotids
Encyclopedia
The Alpha Monocerotids or Monocerotids of November is it a meteor swarm with the international acronym AMO, not to be confused with the Monocerotids of December
, international acronym MON. The swarm is visible from 15 to 25 November of every year; its peak occurs on 21 or 22 November. The speed of its meteors is 65 km/s. Normally it has a low ZHR
but on some occasions it origin remarkable meteor rains, that they have the characteristic to last less than half hour: such type of rains, named outburst, have been observed in 1925, 1935, 1985 and 1995. The outburst of 1995 has allowed to exactly determine the radiant
of the swarm and the solar longitude of its peak beyond confirming the effective brevity of outburst of the Alpha Monocerotids, less than an hour. The parent body, probably a comet
, is unknown.
Monocerotids
Monocerotids is a reliable minor meteor shower that takes place from December 7 to December 20 and peaks on December 9....
, international acronym MON. The swarm is visible from 15 to 25 November of every year; its peak occurs on 21 or 22 November. The speed of its meteors is 65 km/s. Normally it has a low ZHR
Zenithal Hourly Rate
In astronomy, the Zenithal Hourly Rate of a meteor shower is the number of meteors a single observer would see in one hour under a clear, dark sky if the radiant of the shower were at the zenith...
but on some occasions it origin remarkable meteor rains, that they have the characteristic to last less than half hour: such type of rains, named outburst, have been observed in 1925, 1935, 1985 and 1995. The outburst of 1995 has allowed to exactly determine the radiant
Radiant (meteor shower)
The radiant or apparent radiant of a meteor shower is the point in the sky, from which meteors appear to originate. The Perseids, for example, are meteors which appear to come from a point within the constellation of Perseus....
of the swarm and the solar longitude of its peak beyond confirming the effective brevity of outburst of the Alpha Monocerotids, less than an hour. The parent body, probably a comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
, is unknown.