WHAT IS THE BEST TIME FOR MS OPERATION?
In the morning hours, around 0600 local time, that part of the earth is facing the same direction as the direction of travel of the earth in its orbit around the sun. Thus, not only are meteors swept up which are heading toward the earth, but the movement of the earth around the sun allows it to catch up with some of the slower meteors and pull them in, also. On the evening side (facing away from the direction of the earth’s orbit), the only meteors reaching the earth are those which can overtake it. The best time for visual observing is considered to be between 2 and 4 am local time. This is because during the season when the sporadics are at their peak (summer), the sky brightness is increasing after 4 am. It must be remembered, however, that many or probably most “sporadic” meteors are actually the remains of long-gone showers. Thus, on a given day, there could be meteors 5 or 6 of these “extinct” showers hitting the atmosphere, causing an enhancement at an unexpected time. There is
