(meteorobs) Zeta Aurigids? etc.

[Ed Cannon]

On each of the nights I was observing Geminids, I saw a couple 
of very short (less than 5 degrees), slowish meteors within 
the main part of Auriga (very roughly RA 05:30, Dec +40) that 
were clearly not going in the right direction to be Geminids. 
(They were perpendicular or even going toward northern Gemini.)  
I wonder if they might have been Zeta Aurigids.  

http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/showers/zeta_aurigids.html

However, I also wonder if z. Aurigids may be anthelion meteors,
though these seemed perhaps somewhat too far north for that.

2. One of the very best meteors those two evenings was a -4 on
Dec 12/13, long and very fast, with a nice wake or train, that 
traveled from east to west (right to left) about halfway up 
the sky.  It seemed like an earth-grazer.  I was facing pretty 
near due north.

3. One of the ones I marked as a Geminid was fairly near the 
GEM radiant was short and had a wake or train that widened to 
make it into a nearly isoceles triangle as it ended, with the 
short side at the front, where it ended.  It seemed notable.

4. The night of Dec. 12/13 my lifetime total passed 3,000 
meteors.  More than half of them have been Leonids (mainly 
2001).  I'm very pleased to have been able to see so many 
meteors and really appreciate all that I've been learning via 
Meteorobs and the IMO, AMS, NAMN, DMS, ALPO, etc.  Thank you 
very much!

Ed Cannon - ecannon at mail.utexas.edu - Austin, Texas, USA