The χ-Andromedids and January α-Ursae Majorids: A new and a probable shower associated with Comet C/1992 W1 (Ohshita)

Abstract

The meteoroid stream of the long-period comet C/1992 W1 (Ohshita) is studied in course to predict and, eventually, confirm the existence of meteor showers originating in this comet. In total, we created 36 models, each representing a part of a theoretical meteoroid stream of the parent comet considered. We used a method of modeling which has given reliable results for the stream associated with other parent bodies in several past studies. We predict six meteor showers which originate from the nucleus of comet C/1992 W1. One of the predicted showers was identified with the χ-Andromedids, #580 in the IAU MDC list of all showers. The mean characteristics of another predicted shower are similar to the mean characteristics of the January α-Ursae Majorids, #606, given in the IAU MDC list. Evidence of both showers were also found in the three video databases which we considered; a shower resembling the χ-Andromedids was, moreover, found in the photographic data.