(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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