(meteorobs) midnight Perseids from Central Florida

[Bias, Peter V]

	From Lakeland Florida the skies were a little hazy but clear enough to see a few.  Limiting magnitude around 5.0.  I stayed out from 12:05 EDT until 1:30 when fatigue caught up with me and I packed it in.

	8 Perseids, 1 Kappa Cygnid, 1 Alpha Cygnid, and 4 sporadics during the time period.  But 2 Perseids were Earthgrazers that lasted nearly 5 seconds each.  They were orange and about  -2 magnitude.  Very nice.

	  These Earthgrazers always amaze me.  I remember seeing a 7-second Leonid back in 2001!  They must be going through the atmosphere almost horizontally and therefore not encountering the air pressures found deeper toward the ground(?)  You certainly never see 5-second Perseids and 7-second Leonids when the respective radiants are well above the horizon.  I love those things; always memorable.

	And, now, to get ready for hurricane Charley...

	 

	   Pete Bias

	 

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