(meteorobs) Geminid first impression 2004 Dec 12/13

[Norman W. McLeod III]

I just came in from a 6-hour watch  (1026 pm - 430 am) in rather cool 
conditions, dropping to the high 40'sF.  Sky was excellent, LM 
7.3.  Geminids seemed to start off well but then faded.  Definitely not 
like the same date in past leap years.  I skipped the last hour since so 
little was going on.  Am thinking I got a couple of hours over 60 
Geminids.  Will be tallying them up later today.  Looking more like my 
thoughts on the Geminid decline are confirmed.  Joan and I plan on going 
out tonight 9 pm to around 2 am to cover the bright Geminid period.  Best 
seen so far was a  -8m.

Another house has sprung up just 4 blocks west of my site, with a damn 
light shining through a gap in the pine trees.  I faced SE for a full view 
with the car blocking the light.  Made use of it to read a big clock 
without turning my flashlight on.  Guess this site is doomed, one day I 
will go out there and find a house on it.  Will have to try some other 
block in the area eventually.  No use having a remote house for astronomy, 
as someone else will move onto the next lot and ruin the whole place.

The night before, partly cloudy at times from town, I spent 15 minutes here 
and there just casually watching in big clearings.  So no Geminids at all, 
but did see a  -3m Delta Arietid with heavy fragmenting at the end.

Norman


Norman W. McLeod III
Staff Advisor
American Meteor Society

Fort Myers, Florida
nmcleod at peganet.com