(meteorobs) round four enough already

[Norman W. McLeod III]

We made it through the fourth hurricane all right in Fort Myers.  Once 
again, on the weaker and drier south side of Jeanne, but stronger than 
Frances.  Sunday morning at the height of it a feeder band looked like 
winds at 60 with gusts to 70.  No church, needless to say, but church had 
already been called off because the priest was recouping from a hernia 
operation.  It's been very dry here since Charley so we needed the meager 2 
inches of rain from Jeanne.  No power loss either, and very little new yard 
trash.  One new banana bunch survived on the lee side of the house so we 
will eat hearty in January.  I didn't expect another one quite this soon.

The week before, the looping remnants of Ivan passed over us with some 
beneficial rain before it resurrected in the Gulf of Mexico.  We have been 
feeling some battle fatigue over the weather despite getting off quite 
easy.  So many people all over are in much worse shape.  It's more than 
enough for one season, but we need to get past a couple more months to be 
sure something else doesn't come out of the western Caribbean (spawning 
site for late season).  Life goes on, and we have no plans to move.  How 
could a native of Miami leave Florida?  Conditions change year to year, and 
we got a rough combination dealt in 2004.  The last time one state was hit 
by four hurricanes in one season was Texas in 1886.

I did look at the interesting photos done by Jim in California.  It looks 
like a meteor train to me, from a very short-pathed meteor.  It did not 
look like a contrail at all.  Must have been a very nice meteor.

Only one meteor seen recently before dawn a week ago : a slow green  -1m 
possible Kappa Aquarid.  It was seen mostly through tree branches on a 
casual basis.

Looking forward to seeing some Orionids plus a lunar eclipse.  Weather has 
been running clear for a while.

Norman

Norman W. McLeod III
Staff Advisor
American Meteor Society

Fort Myers, Florida
nmcleod at peganet.com