Interested in what you just read?
Subscribe to the newsletter The ephemerides : everything that will happen in the sky during the coming month: what to watch, where to watch? All our newsletters
The swarm ofshooting Stars des iota-Aquarides nord is active from August 11 to 31. Just like his twin the swarm of the southern iota-Aquarids, it owes its name to the constellation of Aquarius, Aquarius in Latin.
The first observations were made by W.-F. Denning in 1877. It was difficult to pin down because the constellation Aquarius is surrounded by a complex set of radiants, active in July and August. It will be necessary to wait until the 1920s to understand that this swarm is divided into two branches, one towards the north (iota-Aquarides north), the other towards the south (iota-Aquarides south).
It’s through listening to the signals radio generated by the meteors that the astronomers were able, in the 1960s, to discern the different radiants surrounding the constellation of Aquarius.
To observe the northern iota-Aquarids, it will be necessary to look in the direction of the constellation of Aquarius, above the southwestern horizon, around 3:15 UT. His hourly rate will be 3. A lunar crescent could play the spoilsport…
However, it will be difficult to recognize the northern iota-Aquarids among the many radiants surrounding the constellation of Aquarius, each generating their own meteors. Whatever, it’s the show that counts…