Sigma Leonids

      The strongest evidence supporting this stream's existence comes from the 1961-1965 session of the Radio Meteor Project. Zdenek Sekanina isolated 16 meteors during the period of February 9-March 13. The date of the nodal passage was given as February 26.2 (Solar Longitude=337.1 deg), at which time the radiant was RA=169.4 deg, DECL=+14.4 deg.
      Searches through past records have revealed a few possible observations of this shower: On March 3.5, 1886 (UT), William F. Denning observed a 2nd-magnitude stationary meteor at RA=176 deg, DECL=+9 deg; Ernst Opik plotted several meteors during February 29 and March 1, 1932, which indicated a radiant of RA=168 deg, DECL=+15 deg; During February 27-28, 1947, Vincent Anyzeski plotted 4 meteors from RA=163 deg, DECL=+14 deg. In addition, three photographic meteors were found in MP1961. These meteors were detected on February 5, 1953 (RA=146 deg, DECL=+22 deg), February 3, 1954 (RA=147 deg, DECL=+20 deg) and March 1, 1954 (RA=167 deg, DECL=+12 deg).
      Since the shower's official announcement in 1973, by Sekanina, only one notable observation of activity has been made. During February 23-March 11, 1979, members of the Western Australia Meteor Section observed this shower and noted that a maximum ZHR of 1.23+/-0.67 came on February 25, from RA=170 deg, DECL=+7 deg.
      The Author combined the radio and photographic meteors and noted a daily motion of +0.93 deg in RA and -0.40 deg in DECL.


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