(meteorobs) Ursids

[Richard Kramer]

Last night, December 23/24, we were celebrating the graduation of my 
daughter from the University of Akron with a 650 mile drive in a 
2-car convoy loaded with her effects accumulated during 4+ years of 
study (of which the intrinsic value is considerably less than the 
cost, let alone the effort, of transport). As we cruised underneath 
central Pennslyvania's jet-black LM 6+ skies, I wanted nothing more 
than to pull over to the side of the road and set out my reclining 
chair in the 25 mph northerly gale which was blowing at the time. 
Alas, that indulgence simply wan't possible, the rest of the convoy 
members would likely have abandoned me there without thinking twice.

I was at the wheel of the lead vehicle, riding eastbound on I-84, 
about 20 miles east of Scranton Pennsylvania at around 00:55 UTC when 
my daughter, who was riding shotgun, exclaimed, "I just saw a meteor 
cross through Orion." Then, "I just saw two more, and there's another 
one." This continued with steadily diminishing frequency for quite a 
while. Considering that she was observing through a darkly tinted 
window under the glare of the headlights from the cars behind us, 
makes this outburst of what must have been Ursids all the more 
remarkable. Unfortunately, the circumstances of the observations make 
a formal report impossible.

After we arrived back home in Sharon, Massachusetts, my wife, who was 
driving the trailing vehicle, asked me if I had seen any of the 
meteors which had been streaking overhead (I hadn't. Evidently, 
leading the convoy is more visually demanding that following in it.). 
Of course, I hastened to settle in underneath my milky, light 
polluted, LM 3.0 skies, for a formal observation session which began 
at 06:32 UTC. An advancing line of clouds ended the session abruptly 
at 06:52 UTC with my log showing a grand total of exactly 0 meteors 
seen. What a letdown!

Regards,
Richard