(meteorobs) Re: 4/5 Feb Observation

[Robert Lunsford]

Paul and All,

Planes and satellites entering your field of view can be a good judge of 
your alertness. If you don't see them until they are near the center of your 
field of view, then you are most likely fatigued and missing meteors. Also 
having that many planes in your field of view would be distracting, also 
affecting you ability to concentrate on meteors.

Clear Skies!

Bob Lunsford

 ----- Original Message ----- 
From: <pmartsching at mchsi.com>
To: "meteorobs" <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2006 8:39 AM
Subject: (meteorobs) 4/5 Feb Observation


> 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.