Abstract
| - Aims. We present a study of the meteor complex of the short-period comet 2P/Encke. Methods. For five perihelion passages of the parent comet in the past, we modeled the associated theoretical stream. Specifically, each of our models corresponds to a part of the stream characterized with a single value of the evolutionary time and a single value of the strength of the Poynting-Robertson effect. In each model, we follow the dynamical evolution of 10 000 test particles via a numerical integration. The integration was performed from the time when the set of test particles was assumed to be ejected from the comet’s nucleus up to the present. At the end of the integration, we analyzed the mean orbital characteristics of those particles that approached the Earth’s orbit, and thus created a meteor shower or showers. Using the mean characteristics of the predicted shower, we attempted to select its real counterpart from each of five considered databases (one photographic, three video, and one radio-meteor). If at least one attempt was successful, the quality of the prediction was evaluated. Results. The modeled stream of 2P approaches the Earth’s orbit in several filaments with the radiant areas grouped in four cardinal directions of ecliptical showers. These groups of radiant areas are situated symmetrically with respect to the apex of the Earth’s motion around the Sun. Specifically, we found that showers #2, #17, #156, #172, #173, #215, #485, #624, #626, #628, #629, #632, #634, #635, #636, and #726 in the IAU-MDC list of all showers are dynamically related to 2P. In addition, we found five new 2P-related showers in the meteor databases considered.
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