(meteorobs) Correction re: my Perseids report

[bmccurdy at telusplanet.net]

   Thanks to Meteor Wayne and Nikola for your comments. Wayne wrote: 

> As with anything else in meteor observing, you must record the LM you see,
> and the meteors you see, not the ones you hear other people see. If you
> start fudging things, it will only decrease the value of your data.
> That's my opinion, anyway.

   And in general I agree with it. 

> Why did you find his estimate more satisfying than yours? Perhaps if we
> can understand why you think so, we can get to the root of the problem.
> You should actually be including the star count areas and readings with
> your observations.

   That was indeed the root of my problem on Aug. 13: I wasn't systematic. I 
did not do a proper star count, I did an old-fashioned limiting magnitude 
estimate based on the visibility of stars around the Little Dipper at the very 
beginning of my session, probably a little before I was fully dark-adapted. 
When I transcribed my tape later I realized I had never followed up with a 
subsequent LM estimate which I usually do at least hourly. As mentioned I was 
rushing to the site from the folk festival and wasn't really on top of my form. 
I was more focused on observing and counting than I was on methodology. The 
counts are accurate, and all mine, but my own LM was flawed. 

   Alister and I have observed together during a number of showers and our LM 
estimates are always quite similar, mine might be a tenth or so deeper than 
his, and I typically seem to get a few percent more meteors as well. So I will 
stick with my counts and the corrected LM, and if these data are judged to be 
suspect by those who collect observations, well, throw them out.  

> I know it's tough, I know when I started out it was a challenge to learn
> how to record all the data accurately. I don't know how much experience
> you have, but like everything else in life, it's a learning process!! :-)

   I have lots of experience but on this occasion I was a little too casual. 
Some lessons need to be learned more than once. :(

   And no, Nikola, I'm not discouraged, just a little embarrassed. 

   Bruce
   *****