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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2766      2011 Sep 12 15.08UT
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
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DRACONID METEORS 2011
P. Jenniskens, SETI Institute, reports on CBET 2819 that the earth is 
predicted to encounter the 1900 dust ejecta of comet 
21P/Giacobini-Zinner on 2011 Oct. 8d20h01m UT.  This is expected to 
result in an approximate 3 hour outburst of Draconid meteors with a peak 
ZHR of about 600 meteors per hour.  The best viewing will be from sites 
in Europe and North Africa, away from moonlight at high altitude; the 
moon will be 91-percent illuminated.

This is the same dust ejecta that may have been responsible for the 1933 
and 1946 Draconid storms, which caused higher Draconid rates than 
expected from the dust trail crossings in other years.

According to Jenniskens, the 1900 dust ejecta may have been the product 
of comet fragmentation from the return of 1900, when the comet was 
discovered.  The meteoroids observed in 1946 were unusually fragile, 
with shallow penetration depths and irregular light curves, possibly 
because the grains were ejected in an ice-laden form, releasing the 
water ice gently after ejection.  In that case, no second peak of 
enhanced rates are expected around Oct. 8d17h UT, when the earth would 
encounter dust ejected in 1873-1894.

The forecast by J. Vaubaillon et al. puts the peak rate at ZHR = 600 
meteors/hr at 20h01m UT, with meteors radiating from R.A. =
263.2 deg, Decl. = +55.8 deg.

Editor: There are several other predictions of much lower rates and, as 
indicated in 'The Astronomer' (Sept. in press)Tony Markham mentions the 
Draconids can be faint and difficult in moonlight.

SUPERNOVA IN MCG +05-04-59 (PSN J01263469+3137036)
Avishay Gal-Yam et. al., Caltech report on Astronomer's Telegram 3633 
that the object discovered by Tom Boles and reported on TA E-Circular 
2761, has been confirmed spectroscopically.

They observed the SN candidate PSNJ01263469+3137036 using the DBSP 
spectrograph (Oke & Gun 1993) mounted on the 5m Hale telescope at 
Palomar Observatory on 2011 August 28, 2011. Analysis using the Superfit 
SN spectral identification code (Howell et al. 2005, ApJ, 634, 1190) 
shows good fits to type II SNe (e.g., SN 1993W) several months after 
explosion.

Congratulations to Tom on the discovery of his 143rd supernova.

Guy M Hurst