------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 3157 2016 Mar 30 09.43UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP,England.Telephone/FAX(01256)471074Int:+441256471074 INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK Backup: gmh@wdcc1.bnsc.rl.ac.uk WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.theastronomer.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- COMET 252P/LINEAR P. Jenniskens, SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center; and J. Vaubaillon, Institut de Mecanique Celeste et de Calcul des Ephemerides, Paris, report that, in the wake of the close 0.0356-AU approach of comet 252P to the Earth on 2016 Mar. 21, it is possible that a new meteor shower may have appeared on 2016 Mar. 28 and 29. A standard model was developed by integrating the orbit of the comet back to A.D. 1850 and ejecting dust at each perihelion passage since that time. After forward-integrating these particles to Mar. 2016, it was found that at no time this year are the densest dust trail sections in the Earth's path. Instead, a diffuse cloud of perturbed meteoroids ejected during 1894-1926 was calculated to have been in the Earth's path during solar longitude 7.5-8.9 degrees (peak at 8.15 deg; equinox J2000.0), between Mar. 28.00 and 29.42 UT. Dust ejected in 1921 was predicted to peak around solar longitudes 8.01 and 8.47 deg (Mar. 28.50 and 28.96 UT, respectively), while dust from 1915 may have peaked at 8.27 deg (Mar. 28.75). Slow meteors would radiate from a geocentric radiant at R.A. = 77.0 deg, Decl. = -16.3 deg, with velocity V_g = 11.1 km/s. Rates would have been low. Selected total-magnitude and coma-diameter estimates for comet 252P, visual unless noted otherwise: Feb. 10.48, 16.2, 0'.4 (K. Yoshimoto, Japan, 0.16-m reflector + CCD); 27.47, 15.5, -- (K. Kadota, Ageo, Japan, 0.25-m reflector + CCD); Mar.5.84, 10.5, 5' (J. J. Gonzalez, Spain, 0.20-m reflector); 6.47, 11.3, 8' (David Seargent, NSW, Australia, 25-cm reflector); 8.46, 9.5, 15' (M. Mattiazzo, Swan Hill, Australia, 25x100 binoculars); 11.02, 8.6, 12' (M. Goiato, Aracatuba, Brazil, 20x100 binoculars); 11.46, 8.0, 25' (Mattiazzo, 8x40 binoculars); 13.50, 7.0, 30' (Mattiazzo); 14.06, 6.6, 30' (Goiato, 7x50 binoculars); 15.44, 6.1, 40' (Mattiazzo; moonlight); 16.14, 6.1, 35' (Goiato). (Extracted from corrections to CBET 4247) Guy M Hurst ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------ Guy M Hurst 16 Westminster Close, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG22 4PP, England Tel/FAX (01256) 471074 Internet: guy@tahq.demon.co.uk Mobile: (07905) 332226 Personal WWW: http://www.guyhurst.co.uk Editor of The Astronomer                       http://www.theastronomer.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------