(meteorobs) Florida fireball 2005Aug20/21 Kappa Cygnid

Norman W. McLeod III nmcleod at peganet.com
Sun Aug 21 19:50:25 EDT 2005


Joan and I saw the brightest meteor ever during a midnight dog walk around 
the neighborhood.  I missed the first half of it but was alerted to 
something happening by her reaction.  No chance to see the ground light up 
because of the nearly full moon up plus many lights nearby.

2005 August 20/21, or Aug 21 UT
about 1205 am EDT, 405 UT.  approximate time since we had no watch handy 
but knew roughly when we started the walk.  magnitude  -8, Kappa Cygnid, 4 
seconds, path length 30 degrees, pale blue-green ball 1/4 degree across, a 
slight fringe of yellow, and intense orange fragments mag 0 and 1.  began 
northern Aquila, ended northern Sagittarius still 25 degrees up at the end, 
SW.  likely ground path offshore lower SW Florida coast to somewhere west 
of Key West and Dry Tortugas.  all of the Florida peninsula was clear so 
this fireball should have been visible throughout, possibly as far up as 
Gainesville.  Cuba would have it as well.  the beginning perhaps seen from 
south Georgia and Alabama.

This is the first Kappa Cygnid fireball I have ever seen despite hearing 
repeatedly for decades how rich this minor shower is with bright 
ones.  Mag  -8 is like a fat crescent moon, as if a couple of days before 
first quarter.  The info is extrapolated to full length based on Joan's 
first reaction.  It caught me looking down when it started.  Joan normally 
doesn't see any color in meteors, but remarkably this time she mentioned 
all 4 colors that I saw.


Norman


Norman W. McLeod III
Staff Advisor
American Meteor Society

Fort Myers, Florida
nmcleod at peganet.com


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