Electronic Telegram No. 4261
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
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VOLANTID METEOR SHOWER OUTBURST ON NEW YEAR'S EVE 2015
     P. Jenniskens, SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, and J.
Baggaley, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, report that the CAMS New
Zealand video-based meteoroid orbit survey, with stations in Geraldine and
West Melton, has detected a southern high-declination shower of naked-eye
meteors (with visual magnitudes ranging from +3 to -2) that was active
briefly on New Year's Eve, 2015 Dec. 31.  Between 09h12m and 15h45m UT, 21
out of 59 detected meteors radiated from the constellation of Volans, with a
geocentric radiant at R.A. = 120.6 +/- 3.9 deg, Decl. = -72.0 +/- 1.1 deg
(equinoxt J2000.0) and geocentric velocity 28.4 +/- 1.7 km/s.  The highest
rates were around Dec. 31d10h15m UT.  Two more Volantids were detected at
10h35m and 10h38m UT the next night.  No activity from this shower was
observed the year prior.  The orbit is that of a Jupiter-family comet:
q = 0.975 (+/- 0.004) AU, a = 2.23 (+0.59/-0.39) AU, i = 47.8 (+/- 2.1) deg,
Peri. = 347.7 (+/- 3.4) deg, Node = 99.26 (+/- 0.07) deg (equinox 2000.0;
1-sigma dispersions; Dec. 31 meteors only).  The parent body has not yet been
identified.  The shower was added as number 758, "Volantids", to the IAU
Working List of Meteor Showers.  More information is provided at website URL
http://cams.seti.org.


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                         (C) Copyright 2016 CBAT
2016 February 20                 (CBET 4261)              Daniel W. E. Green