(meteorobs) Obs: 22/23 October 2006
pmartsching at mchsi.com
pmartsching at mchsi.com
Mon Oct 23 15:16:16 EDT 2006
23 October 2006 05:45-11:10 (CDST 22/23 October 2006 12:45-6:10am)
Paul Martsching
McFarland Park Observatory 4 miles NE of Ames, Story County, Iowa
Long: 93 deg 34 min W Lat: 42 deg 05 min W Elevation: 1,040 feet
Method: Visual; paper, pencil and talking clock
05:45-06:45; 30 deg F; wind West 10 mph; average cloud cover 10%; average
limiting magnitude 5.8; facing SE 45 degrees; Total teff 1.0 hour
Time mag. type comment
05:58 -4 ORI orange; 2 second train
06:05 +1 Spor
06:05 +3 ORI
06:08 -1 ORI yellow; 1 second train
06:26 -4 ORI yellow; 2 second train
06:31 +4 Spor
06:36 0 ORI 1.5 second train
06:37 +1 ORI orange; 0.5 second train
06:40 +3 ORI
Epsilon Geminid: none
Orionid: -4(2), -1, 0, +1, +3(2)
Taurid: none
Sporadic: +1, +4
Total meteors: nine
06:45-07:45; 28 deg F; wind West 10 mph; clear; average limiting magniutde 5.9;
facing SE 45 degrees; Total teff 1.0 hour
Time mag. type comment
07:06 +2 Spor
07:13 -2 ORI yellow; 1 second train
07:21 +1 Spor
07:26 -1 ORI orange; 1 second train
07:31 +3 Spor
07:36 0 ORI 0.5 second train
07:40 0 ORI yellow
07:42 0 STA
07:43 +1 ORI brief train
07:43 0 ORI yellow; 1.5 second train
07:44 +3 Spor
07:44 0 ORI yellow; 0.5 second train
07:44 +2 ORI
Epsilon Geminids: none
Orionid: -1, 0 (4), +1, +2
South Taurid: 0
Sporadic: +1. +2. +3(2)
Total meteors: twelve
Break: 07:45-08:25 mass of broken clouds moving thru
08:25-09:25; 26 degrees F; wind West 10 mph; clear; average limiting magnitude
5.9; facing SE 45 degrees; Total teff 1.0 hour
Time mag. type comment
08:27 -1 ORI brief train
08:31 +4 ORI
08:33 +2 ORI brief train
08:34 +3 Spor
08:36 0 ORI yellow; 1 second train
08:51 +1 Spor
08:52 +4 ORI
08:55 +3 ORI
08:56 +4 ORI
08:58 +2 ORI 0.5 second train
09:04 +1 ORI yellow; 1 second train
09:06 0 ORI yellow; 1 second train
09:07 -2 ORI orange; 1.5 second train
09:09 -2 ORI yellow; 2 second train
09:13 +2 ORI
09:17 +1 Spor
Epsilon Geminid: none
Orionid: -2(2), -1, 0(2), +1, +2(3), +3, +4(3)
Taurid: none
Sporadic: +1(2), +3
Total Meteors: sixteen
09:25-11:10; 24 degrees F; wind West 10 mph; clear; average limiting magnitude
5.9; facing SE 45 degrees; Total teff 1.75 hour.
Time mag. type comment
09:27 +1 STA yellow
09:31 +2 ORI 1 second train
09:32 +2 ORI yellow; 0.5 second train
09:39 +2 Spor
09:39 +1 ORI yellow; brief train
09:40 +3 Spor
09:42 +1 ORI orange; 0.5 second train
09:48 +3 ORI brief train
09:53 +3 ORI 0.5 second train
10:04 0 Spor
10:08 +4 Spor
10:09 -2 ORI yellow; 3 second train
10:16 +2 ORI
10:17 +4 Spor
10:18 +3 STA
10:19 +2 ORI brief train
10:23 +1 ORI 1 second train
10:25 +4 ORI
10:27 +3 Spor
10:28 +3 Spor
10:30 +3 ORI
10:36 -8 ORI blue-white; train duration: 2 1/2 minutes! E of Can.Major
10:40 -2 ORI 2 second train
10:41 +1 ORI 1 second train
10:43 +3 Spor
10:46 +2 Spor
10:49 +1 ORI orange
10:55 +3 ORI
10:59 0 ORI yellow; brief train
11:06 +1 ORI brief train
11:09 +4 ORI
11:09 -5 ORI orange; 12 second train
11:09 +3 ORI
Epsilon Geminid: none
Orionid: -8, -5, -2(2), 0, +1(6), +2(4), +3(5), +4(2)
South Taurid: +1, +3
Sporadic: 0, +2(2), +3(4), +4(2)
Total meteors: thirty-three
10:36 -8 Orionid fireball: Startling! Went down from radiant and ended East of
Canis Major. The whole length of the train lasted 45 seconds and within a
minute only the last degree or so was visible. It lasted so long I thought that
perhaps the meteor had coincidently ended at some naked-eye nebulosity in that
part of the sky, but finally it disappeared. This is the first non-Leonid
meteor I have seen with a train lasting as long as a minute.
I am surprized by the number of Orionid fireballs this year, especially
considering that I could not observe any of the mornings October 18 - 21. Even
in years when Orionid numbers were high thru Oct 25th, I have very rarely seen
any Orionids brighter than mag. -2 after October 21st. In past years my
brightest Orionids have always come October 19th - October 21st.
Perhaps the total number of Orionid meteors is higher than my observations
indicate - the limiting magnitude of my sky isn't the best, the weather hasn't
been cooperating and I can't see faint meteors as well as I could 20 years ago.
>From my experience at the Iowa Star Party this year, I doubt I could perceive a
sky having a limiting magnitude better than 6.2 no matter how wonderful an
observing site I might go to. At least I can still see quite a few meteors and I
can enjoy the fireballs as much as anybody.
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