(meteorobs) Obs: 14/15 December 2006

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

15 December 2006 03:30-08:30 UT (CST 14/15 Dec 2006 09:30pm - 02:30am)

Paul Martsching
McFarland Park Observatory 4 miles NE of Ames, Story County, Iowa
Long: 93 deg 34 min W   Lat: 42 deg 05 min N   Elevation: 1,040 feet
Method: Visual; paper, pencil and talking clock

Note: Some aurora thruout the entire time but seldom got as high as Polaris and
died down quite a bit after 05:30 UT; earlier in the evening (~6:30pm CST) it
was one of the most intensely green auroras I have ever seen with long "curly
que's" in the western 1/3 of the display.  Later (~8:15pm CST) some faint
pink/light red rays to well above Polaris, but these always faded out quickly;
during the time I was observing meteors the color had faded to only slightly
greenish.

03:30-04:30; 45 deg F; wind West 15-20 mph; clear; average limiting magnitude
5.8; facing East 50 deg; Total teff 1.0 hour
Time   mag.   type   comment
03:30  +2     GEM
03:33  +3     Spor
03:34   0     GEM
03:35  +2     Spor
03:37  +3     GEM
03:38  +2     GEM
03:50  +2     GEM
04:13   0     GEM
04:21  +2     GEM
04:24  +1     GEM    yellow
04:27  -1     GEM    yellow
04:28  -3     GEM    yellow
Antihelion: none
Coma Berenicid: none
Geminid: -3, -1, 0(2), +1, +2(4), +3
Sigma Hydrid: none
Sporadic: +2, +3
Total meteors: Twelve

04:30-05:30; 42 deg F; wind West 15-20 mph; clear; average limiting magnitude
5.9; facing East 50 degrees; Total teff 1.0 hour
Time   mag.   type   comment
04:32  +3     Spor
04:36  +3     Spor
04:36   0     GEM
04:37  -4     GEM    yellow; 2 second train
04:52  +2     GEM
04:52  +3     GEM
04:54  +1     GEM
04:59  +1     GEM
05:00  +3     GEM
05:07  -2     GEM
05:10  +2     GEM
05:13  +2     Spor
05:14  -1     GEM    yellow
05:15  +4     GEM
05:16  +2     HYD
05:23  +1     ANT    orange
Antihelion: +1
Coma Berenicid: none
Geminid: -4, -2, -1, 0, +1(2), +2(2), +3(2), +4
Sigma Hydrid: +2
Sporadic: +2, +3(2)
Total meteors: Sixteen

05:30-06:30; 39 deg F; wind West ~15 mph; clear; average limiting magnitude 5.9;
facing East 50 deg; Total teff 1.0 hour
Time   mag.   type   comment
05:33  +1     GEM    yellow
05:40  -1     GEM    orange
05:48  +2     Spor
05:57  +3     Spor
05:59   0     GEM
06:02   0     GEM    yellow
06:02  +1     GEM
06:05  +1     GEM
06:16  +2     GEM
06:24  +4     Spor
06:29  +2     GEM
Antihelion: none
Coma Berenicid: none
Geminid: -1, 0(2), +1(3), +2(2)
Sigma Hydrid: none
Sporadic: +2, +3, +4
Total meteors: Eleven

06:30-07:30; 36 deg F; Wind West 10-15 mph; clear; average limiting magnitude
5.9; facing East 50 deg; Total teff 1.0 hour
Time   mag.   type   comment
06:36  -1     GEM    
06:36  +5     GEM
06:39  +4     Spor
06:53  +1     GEM
06:56   0     GEM    yellow
06:56   0     GEM
06:56  +2     GEM
07:00  -1     GEM    yellow; brief train
07:11  +1     GEM
07:12  +2     GEM
07:13  +2     GEM
07:15  -4     Spor
07:16  +3     Spor
07:19  -3     GEM    orange
07:19  +4     COM
07:19  +3     GEM
07:21   0     GEM    yellow
07:22  +4     COM
07:22   0     GEM    yellow
07:26  +1     GEM
Antihelion: none
Coma Berenicid: +4(2)
Geminid: -3, -1(2), 0(4), +1(3), +2(3), +3, +5
Sigma Hydrid: none
Sporadic: -4, +3, +4
Total meteors: twenty

07:30-08:30; 32 deg F; wind West 10 mph; clear; average limiting magnitude 5.7
(Moon rise); facing East 50 degrees; Total teff 1.0 hour
Time   mag.  type   comment
07:30  +3    Spor   brief train
07:39  +3    Spor
07:48  +1    COM    brief train
07:52  +4    Spor
07:56  -5    GEM    blue-white; brief train
07:59  +1    GEM    yellow
07:59  +1    GEM
08:05  -4    GEM    blue-white
08:05  -1    COM    1 second train
08:06  +2    GEM
08:16  +2    GEM
08:28  -2    GEM    yellow
Antihelion: none
Coma Berenicid: -1, +1
Geminid: -5, -4, -2, +1(2), +2(2)
Sigma Hydrid: none
Sporadic: +3(3), +4
Total meteors: twelve