On the meteor clusters detected over Hawai’i in 2023 and 2024

Abstract In this paper, we report on the analysis of two meteor clusters captured by the Subaru–Asahi StarCam on the Subaru Telescope (2023 April and 2024 July) and we discuss their occurrence frequency. In the cluster event observed on 2023 April 20, at least seven meteors appeared within 3 s, while the event on 2024 July 11, contained at least 14 meteors within 4 s. The former cluster was characterized by the simultaneous appearance of several relatively faint meteors, exhibiting a flat size distribution. In contrast, the latter consisted of a very bright leading meteor followed by a group of fainter meteors. Identifying the radiant was challenging due to the single-station observation, and no clear association with known meteor showers could be established. The analysis of the occurrence frequency, based on 4 yr of observation data from the Subaru–Asahi StarCam, suggests that meteor clusters might occur approximately once every 25 dark nights over the entire sky, extrapolating from the observed frequency within the camera’s limited field of view during dark nights.