No Meteor Storms Expected from P/Machholz 2

Abstract

AbstractP/1994 P1 Machholz 2 is the first Earth-crossing shortperiod comet to have been observed to have split since 3D/Biela about 150 years ago, and that fragmentation resulted in the Andromedid meteor storms of 1872 and 1885. Thus a pertinent question is whether meteor storms might result from P/Machholz 2 in the foreseeable future. Here we integrate its orbit to ascertain when the node might next occur near a heliocentric distance of 1 AU, and find that this is not anticipated far over 1000yr, although some meteor activity in ∽300yr is possible. On such time-scales the recently-released debris will have dispersed, so that meteor storms are not expected from this comet.