(meteorobs) 4/5 Feb Observation

pmartsching at mchsi.com pmartsching at mchsi.com
Sun Feb 5 11:39:26 EST 2006


05 Feb 2006  07:00 - 09:00 (CST 04/05 Feb 2006 1:00 - 3:00 am)

Paul Martsching
McFarland Park Observatory 4 miles NE of Ames, Story Co, Iowa
Long: 93 deg 34 min W  Lat: 42 deg 05 min N   Elevation: 318 meters
Method: visual; pencil, paper & talking clock

ANT/ECL  Antihelion/Eclipticid/Virginid
Spor  Sporadic

07:00 - 08:00; 12 degrees F; wind NW 10 mph; no snow; 1/2 lit Moon behind cloud
low in West at 01:00 setting ~01:15; average limiting magnitude 5.9; facing E 50
degrees; Total teff 1.0 hour

Time   mag.   type    comment
07:13  +3     Spor
07:36  -2     ECL/VIR yellow; brief train
07:44  +2     Spor
07:54  +2     Spor    orange; fast

Antihelion:  -2
Sporadics:  +2(2), +3
Total meteors: 4

08:00 - 09:00; 10 degrees F; wind NW 10 mph; no snow; average limiting magnitude
6.0; facing E 50 degrees; Total teff 1.0 hour

Time   mag.   type   comment
08:01  +4     Spor
08:05  +3     Spor
08:09  +2     Spor
08:29  +3     Spor

Antihelion: none
Sporadics: +2, +3(2), +4
Total meteors: 4

I saw no airplanes or jets 07:00 - 08:47!!  Nearly always I have one or two
airplanes/jets in my field of view, often three or more.  I think all these
airplanes/jets are distracting especially when there are 4 - 7 in my field of
view.  Sometimes I wonder if I am missing faint meteors.  Air traffic seems to
be very heavy from twilight to around 11:30 pm and then really picks up again
around 3 am.  If I see faint jets almost immediately after they enter my field
of view I assume I am alert.  If a jet gets a ways inside my field of view
before I notice it, I wonder if I'm alert.  



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