American Meteor Society
Radiant Positions at 10pm Local Daylight Time
Radiant Positions at 1am Local Daylight Time
Radiant Positions at 4am Local Daylight Time
During this period the moon reaches its full phase on Monday September 8th. At this time the moon is located opposite the sun and is present in the sky all night long. This will be the worst week of the month to try and view meteor activity as the bright moonlight will obscure all but the brightest meteors. The estimated total hourly meteor rates for evening observers this week is near 3 as seen from the northern hemisphere and 1 as seen from southern tropical latitudes. For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates should be near 10 for observers located in mid-northern latitudes and 4 for south tropical observers. 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 during this period are reduced due to moonlight. Note that the hourly rates listed below are estimates as viewed from dark sky sites away from urban light sources. Observers viewing from urban areas will see less activity as only the brightest meteors will be visible from such locations.
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 September 6/7. 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.
These sources of meteoric activity are expected to be active this week. Details of each source will continue next week when the moonlight situation will improve.
| SHOWER | DATE OF MAXIMUM ACTIVITY | CELESTIAL POSITION | ENTRY VELOCITY | CULMINATION | HOURLY RATE | CLASS |
| RA (RA in Deg.) DEC | Km/Sec | Local Daylight Time | North-South | |||
| Southern Taurids (STA) | Oct 10 | 00:40 (010) +02 | 29 | 02:00 | 1 – 1 | II |
| September Epsilon Perseids (SPE) | Sep 09 | 03:04 (046) +41 | 65 | 04:00 | 2 – <1 | II |
| Orionids (ORI) | Oct 22 | 04:24 (066) +00 | 67 | 05:00 | 1 – <1 | I |
| IMO #149 | Sep 03 | 04:44 (071) +41 | 70 | 05:00 | 1 – <1 | IV |
| September Lyncids (SLY) | Sep 09 | 06:56 (104) +54 | 60 | 07:00 | <1 – <1 | IV |
From Santa Cruz, Bolivia
We saw what seemed a fire cracker but too high in the sky… more like debris
It was around 8 to 8:30 pm local time
Saw a fireball driving on 422 west at sanatoga exit Pottstown , Pa 19464 last night around 7:30pm
I saw a streak of fire over Clifton, NJ last night around 7pm. The streak continued and moved through the air for a few minutes. My initial thought was a streak from a jet that was highlighted by the setting Sun but the streak never lightened. It only faded away and stayed bright. Not sure if the streak was from a slow moving meteor or space debris.
Saw a comet like star with a small tail over looking Glendora,Ca at 5:58 AM . The tail grew larger and expanded, The head of the comet disintegrate.
I saw two meteors in the western sky over western Delaware between 5:40 and 5:50 am. The moon was out but it was very clear.
I saw meteor last night around 9 pm in Mission Viejo, CA. It lit up and traveled for a few seconds before sparking up and going dark again.
We saw in the southern sky at 11:30 pm, a 5 second bright flash of light, as bright as burning magnesium across the sky. We were facing north and looking for northern lights when the sky lit us and we turned around to see the bright tail of what we think was the meteorite.
Saw what appears to be a comet with long tail coming from south at Lebanon, Oregon at 5:59 AM September, 12, 2014. It disappeared, as if it went around the earth away from the sun.
While visiting friends on September 6, 2014 around 7:30pm near East Tawas, MI, I was looking north across the Indian Lake when I noticed an object in the sky just above the tree tops. Thinking it was a planet beginning to shine at sunset, I looked through a scope to find that the object had a forked tail that was flickering like a flame and the object was falling from the sky from east to west. While 4 of us took turns looking at it in the scope over the course of about 3-5 minutes it disappeared below the tree line.
On September 7th my 2 sisters and I along with my fiancé and one of my sister’s husband saw a bold red flame that was coming across the sky toward us then go straight up and disappear. This was seen from n sebstian florida looking toward Melbourne florida.
My house (in Dillsburg, PA) was hit by a rock about the size of a baseball on 9/5/2014. It hit about 20 feet off the ground and busted through the siding and the plywood. No possible way it could have been thrown with that much force at that height and on the trajectory that it came in on.
i saw comet tail like a fireball flying from my appartment at makati city, The Phillipines, I saw it on November 8th 2014 around 01:50. can someone please tell me if what i saw is really a comet ? i couldn’t find any news regarding this.
What you saw was most likely a fireball. These are brighter than normal meteors that usually last just a few seconds at most. A comet on the other hand lies far out in space and very little movement is noticeable until you compare it from night to night. I hope this helps…
Robert Lunsford