Abstract :
[en] P. Jenniskens, SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, reports that the episodic beta Tucanid meteors (IAU shower #108) returned this year on Mar. 12 (cf. map at website URL http://cams.seti.org/FDL/ for dates of Mar. 12 and 13). This meteor shower was first detected by CAMS Chile (S. Heathcote and T. Abbott, NOIRLAB/Cerro Tololo; and E. Jehin, University of Liege) on Mar. 12 at 4h UTC (N = 5 Beta Tucanid meteors), then peaked over CAMS New Zealand (coordinated by J. Baggaley, University of Canterbury; and J. Scott, University of Otago) starting at 8h UTC (N = 20), followed by CAMS Australia (H. Devillepoix, Curtin University; and D. Rollinson) starting at 14h UTC (N = 6). A late shower member was detected by CAMS New Zealand on Mar. 13 at 8h29m UTC. The networks in New Zealand (J. Scott) and Australia (D. Rollinson) also participate in the Global Meteor Network, coordinated by D. Vida. The shower was previously detected in 2020, peaking at solar longitude = 352.38 +/- 0.09 deg with full-width-at-half-maximum = 0.76 deg, and in 2021, when the shower peaked at 352.27 +/- 0.04 deg with FWHM = 0.59 deg -- but it was not present obviously in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, the shower peaked at solar longitude 352.03 +/- 0.03 deg with FWHM = 0.43 deg (standard errors). Thirty-two triangulated shower meteors radiated from geocentric radiant R.A. = 66.2 +/- 2.1 deg, Decl. = -78.2 +/- 0.6 deg (equionox J2000.0), with geocentric velocity 30.8 +/- 0.7 km/s (with error indicating the 1-sigma dispersion), corresponding to the following median orbital elements: a = 2.83 +/- 0.45 AU, q = 0.9810 +/- 0.0016 AU, e = 0.654 +/- 0.046, i = 51.8 +/- 0.7 deg, Peri. = 345.3 +/- 0.9 deg, and Node = 172.05 +/- 0.24 deg (equinox J2000.0). The parent body was identified (cf. Janches 2020, Ap.J. Lett. 895, L25) as minor planet (248590) 2006 CS, a presumed now-dormant Jupiter-family comet.
