(meteorobs) Quads and Questions

Catlin cat at catlin.force9.co.uk
Fri Jan 6 05:40:21 EST 2006


Hi Lew, Michael here from Leeds, England.

Your personal sentiments on meteor observations were both amusing and
also chord touching. 

I have been observing showers on an ad hoc basis ever since being
spellbound one night, back in Nov '98, when I saw 60 Leonids between 4
am and 5am by chance, having never seen a single one previously. I have
only a general and simple interest in other Astronomical matters.

In the following seven years since, I have seen Perseids, Lyrids,
Geminids, sporadics and a few more Leonids. I like to log them
specifically for colour, speed, length and direction so that I may
compare them again with future shows.  

Having a day job interferes with observations, along with light
pollution and poor skies; when meteors are seen, however, it is a most
wonderful and unforgettable sight, especially when several are observed
in one session.

Clear skies,

Michael ... 

P.S. it's not only boxers who need brains scans, it's also sky watchers
along with mountaineers, my boss says. Who cares what the boss says
anyway?  


 
-----Original Message-----
From: meteorobs-bounces at meteorobs.org
[mailto:meteorobs-bounces at meteorobs.org] On Behalf Of Lew Gramer
Sent: 05 January 2006 16:34
To: meteorobs at meteorobs.org
Subject: Re: (meteorobs) Quads and Questions

On Wednesday 04 January 2006 19:07, bmccurdy at telusplanet.net wrote:
> I wonder if others on this list have experience with what I call "deja
> vu observing", and how do/can you deal with it? Can I simply blame it
on
> deteriorating vision, or is the only cure a full frontal lobotomy? ***

Well, some might say that a lobotomy is the only way of curing meteor 
observers generally, Bruce. :)


This is an interesting question! One of the things that intrigues me
about 
meteor observing, is that it gives you an inkling of just how complex
human 
perception really is - maybe better than other kinds of astronomy...

I've not experienced what you describe very often, but every once in a
while. 
It seems to be related to fatigue for me - not necessarily lost acuity.

More often though when I am observing, maybe doing IMO Limiting
Magnitude star 
counts (which can seem like a never-ending activity in a really dark
sky!), 
I'll suddenly realize that I've already seen one, sometimes two or even
three 
meteors, which I have not logged!

I also have occasions where I can't be sure, but think I see activity
near my 
edge of field - for me, Distance from Center of Vision or "DCV" of about
40o 
is usually the limit for mid-magnitude meteors, 20o for fainter ones.

My general rule on whether to log ANY meteor, though, is what I can
glean from 
it: if I can determine (and remember) to my own satisfaction at least
ONE of 
the two key data on the meteor - either magnitude OR shower association
- I 
log it. If I can't determine either of these without "guessing", I
don't.

And of course, if I'm unsure of one of the two data, I put a "?" next to
it.


Part of avoiding all three of these problems is experience - that is not
HOW 
LONG I've been observing meteors, which is a relative constant for me at
this 
stage in my life. But more importantly, how often have I been out
observing 
LATELY? Too infrequent sessions have been a problem for me in the past,
as it 
could often be 4 to 6 months between meteor logging sessions for me.

Another key to avoiding all three is to avoid fatigue: for those of us
with 
"day jobs", of course, this can be extremely difficult. We often have
the 
choice between observing tired, or not observing at all! Still, I've
noticed 
that in past sessions, all three kinds of "trip ups" - not reacting to a

meteor, reacting but fogetting to log it, and not being sure whether you
saw 
anything at all - are much more likely to occur when I'm tired. Having a

spare hour to catnap can make a huge difference, though! My general rule
is 
that a one hour "rest" will give me 3 extra hours of alert observing. :)

Clear skies for the New Year, all!
Lew Gramer
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