Analisys of kappa-cygnid fireball

Abstract

The κ-Cygnids (KCG) were first observed about 150 years ago [1]. The activity period of this annual minor shower extends from August 3 to August 31, peaking on August 18 with a Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) of about 2.3±0.4 [2, 3]. Because of the duration of activity and the associated spread in the longitude of the nodes, Jenniskens suggested that the KCG stream might be old [2]. However, the analysis of the outbursts experienced in 1997 and 2007 [4, 5] suggested an opposite scenario. Besides, observations support the hypothesis that the formation of this meteoroid stream is a consequence of the fragmentation of a comet nucleus [5]. This disruptive process could have proceeded as a cascade, where the break up of the progenitor body leaded to produce small remnants, some fully disintegrated into different clumps of particles and other remained as dormant objects such as 2008ED69, 2001MG1 and 2004LA12 which are now observed as near-Earth asteroids. In this work we analyze a fireball produced by a meteoroid belonging to the KCG stream on August 2012. Its emission spectrum was also recorded.