Observing
This daylight meteor shower is active during the period of May 4 to June 6. Maximum occurs around May 16 from an average radiant of RA=37 deg, DECL=+18 deg.
History
The May Arietids were first detected in 1960 while the radio equipment at the Kharkov Polytechnical Institute was being operated by B. L. Kashcheyev and V. N. Lebedinets. Activity was detected during the period of May 5-27. The stream’s nodal crossing came on May 15 (λ=54 deg), at which time the radiant was at RA=41 deg, DECL=+23 deg.
The stream was next detected in 1961. C. S. Nilsson had been operating the radio equipment of the University of Adelaide, South Australia, during May 19-28. Meteors from this stream were detected during the entire period. The date of the nodal crossing was determined as May 23 (λ=62.1 deg), at which time the radiant was at RA=46.5 deg, DECL=+19.1 deg.
The last radar survey to successfully detect this stream was the 1968-1969 session of the Radio Meteor Project. Zdenek Sekanina found the duration to be May 7 to June 6, with a nodal crossing on May 15.6 (λ=54.3 deg). The average radiant was at RA=36.5 deg, DECL=+17.8 deg.