(meteorobs) Re: Perseids Live ZHR Profile

[Arlene Carol]

thank you wayne and bob...
phew, that makes it less intimidating. i was afraid after reading
your list wayne, that i was NEVER going to 'get it'...now i feel a bit
relieved. i'll try working on magnitude tonight.

i know where Vega is...it's part of the 'summer triangle' almost
directly overhead. is there another name for this triangle? i was told
about it by someone from Holland years ago...until then, i had never
noticed it!!

i think i have a good grasp of which meteors are Perseids and which
may by sporatics. I may not be able to do more than that initially.
but heck, that's a good start, right?

it's after 11pm now. i was working in my studio so my eyes are going
to take some moments to adjust to the night sky, but i plan to
observe until at least midnight. i hope i don't fall asleep out there before
that!! i've been up since 6am...

here goes...

arlene


On 8/10/07, meteors at eclipse.net <meteors at eclipse.net> wrote:
>
> That is excellent advice Bob.
>
> It takes a while to learn how to get the data needed for scientific
> analysis.
>
> It doesn't occur overnight :)
>
> Pereids vs non Perseids is an excellent place to start.
>
> The NAMN guide I mentioned has reference stars for estimating magnitude.
> I use Delphinus to see whether it's worth going out to observe. If I can
> see all 4 (or 5) 4th magnitude stars, I know the haze isn't too bad.
>
> Another tool is the little dipper. Polaris, and the brightest star in the
> bowl are 2nd magnitude. The other 3 bowl stars are roughly +3, +4, and +5.
> If I can see them from home(with the doofus across the street shining his
> garage light in my eyes) then I know it's a good night.
>
> I like the small constellation Triangulum because it's distinctivly shaped
> 3 stars are mag 3, 3.5 and 4.
>
> Aries brightest star is +2.
>
> Once you watch the sky, you will get a feel for it.
>
> Until you start, you can't learn much :)
>
> Wayne
>
>
> > Arlene and All,
> >
> > Wayne has presented some fine pointers in order to produce a
> > scientifically
> > useful meteor report. Personally I would not expect anyone to be able to
> > provide all this information on their first night out observing. I would
> > suggest providing what information you can and then work on providing
> the
> > remainder as you become more proficient in recording.
> >
> > I feel the most important contribution you can provide is the number of
> > Perseids verses non-Perseids per hour. The Perseids will be easy to
> > distinguish as they will all come from the northeastern sky and shoot in
> > all
> > directions. There will be fast Perseids and slow Perseids. Fast Perseids
> > will appear far from the radiant and high in the sky. Slow Perseids will
> > appear near the radiant or near the horizon. As you see numerous
> Perseids
> > you will also notice an occasional meteor coming from a different
> > direction.
> > These are either sporadic meteors or those belonging to other showers
> > active
> > this time of year. A great majority of the activity you see on the next
> > four
> > night will be Perseids.
> >
> > During slow periods (yes there will be periods as long as five minutes
> > when
> > you see nothing) I would suggest becoming familiar with the magnitude
> > system. At midnight (summer time) Jupiter lies low in the southwest.
> > Jupiter
> > shines at magnitude -2. Located just west of the zenith is the zero
> > magnitude blue-white star Vega. First magnitude Deneb lies almost
> exactly
> > overhead at this hour. The north star and the brighter stars of the Big
> > Dipper are fine examples of second magnitude stars. The "W" of
> Cassiopeia,
> > rising in the northeast has  two second and four third magnitude stars.
> > The
> > dim constellation of Delphinus, located due east of the bright first
> > magnitude star Altair (located half-way up in the south) is made up
> > entirely
> > of fourth magnitude stars. It's difficult to pick out fifth magnitude
> > stars
> > as there are so many of them! They as best described as the dimmest
> stars
> > you can easily see from a rural location. Sixth magnitude stars are the
> > stars you can barely see.
> >
> > As you gain experience you will be able to apply these magnitudes to the
> > meteors you record, which is important for scientific analysis. The main
> > thing though is to enjoy the show while providing enough information to
> > give
> > us an idea of what you witnessed.
> >
> > Clear Skies!
> >
> > Bob Lunsford
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: <meteors at eclipse.net>
> > To: "Global Meteor Observing Forum" <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
> > Sent: Friday, August 10, 2007 8:49 AM
> > Subject: Re: (meteorobs) Perseids Live ZHR Profile
> >
> >
> >> Arlene,
> >> To record scientifically useful data you must be able to enter:
> >>
> >> 1:
> >> The Latitude, Longitude and Height above sea level at your observing
> >> location.
> >> 2:
> >> The location of the radiants of any meteor showers you are observing,
> in
> >> Right Ascention and Declination
> >>
> >> 3:
> >> The RA and Dec of your field of view (where you are looking)
> >>
> >> 4:
> >> The exact hours (minutes/60 minutes per hour) that you were watching
> the
> >> sky.
> >>
> >> 5:
> >> Whether any clouds or trees or buildings obstructed your field of view.
> >>
> >> 6:
> >> The beginning and end time of your observations.
> >>
> >> 7:
> >> The limiting magnitude of your sky (what is the magnitude of the
> >> faintest
> >> stars you can see). The IMO uses a "counting the stars in a polygon"
> >> method which is easy to learn with some practice.
> >>
> >> 8:
> >> The number of meteors from each shower you observed for each time
> >> interval.
> >>
> >> 9:
> >> The Magnitude (brightness) of the meteors you see.
> >>
> >> I would suggest as a starting point, you go to
> >>
> >> http://www.namnmeteors.org/
> >>
> >> And look at the observing forms.
> >> Download the NAMN observing guide.
> >> See if you can fill out the form,
> >> http://www.namnmeteors.org/namn_form.html
> >>
> >> If you have questions, ask me or Mark at the NAMN and we'll help you.
> >>
> >> It's intended as an introduction to the science of recording your
> >> observations.
> >>
> >> A printable IMO report form is also available, but my advice is to
> start
> >> with the NAMN form, until you have all the bugs worked out.
> >>
> >> It takes a bit of practice to be able to fill it all out accurately.
> >>
> >> Wayne
> >
> > ---
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>
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