(meteorobs) Geminids in Decline?

[Steven Kolins]

I'll chime in here in a different way.

We got ourselves ready and out about 9:30 to watch for about an hr and  
saw about a dozen meteors. Mostly we did this cause we were ready and  
took advantage of the last of the unusual warm spell we've had in the  
SE USA and promises of a great show. I had an inflatable mattress that  
leaked and my partner was totally unused to being outside in the dark  
and never  My digital camera had dead batteries so that didn't work  
out either. Clouds also began to roll in and it was chilly though I  
had brought two blankets and we wore coats and I had two hot water -  
thankfully they didn't leak.

Sounds like I did just about everything wrong. I didn't take careful  
notes, my camera was dead, we came out way too early, didn't look very  
long and the mattress leaked so I was laying on hard ground in the  
cold before we were done. And as soon as my partner got to the  
mattress it was all "I don't think this is a good idea."

And after the first meteor my four year old daughter was drinking the  
Kool-Aide.

"WOW!!! DAD!! DAD!! What was THAT!" jabbing at the sky....

That was my daughter's first meteor. From then on she was all into it  
- she caught meteors I missed and even pointed out all the planes. She  
didn't want to come in even as my back started to get real sore and  
she began to shiver and cuddle up against me for warmth.

Mostly we saw earth grazers - some crossing upto 90° of the sky. Most  
were as bright as Mars and several much brighter. Several presented a  
kind of flaming appearance as they zipped kind of slowly across the  
sky. One left a trail that lasted a second as it sputtered across the  
sky. All were kind of yellow which stood one when the one meteor not  
from the Gemini radiant streaked more dimly straight north (Gemini was  
still in the east) which was white-blue in comparison.

I did also keep an eye on Comet Holmes which seemed to have a slight  
tail to it.... My daughter caught a greenish tinge to it.... Her first  
comet too!
=    -   -  - - -  -   -    =
Steven Kolins
mailto:smkolins at mac.com
http://homepage.mac.com/smkolins/
http://smk99.blogspot.com/
Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart!
They that believe in vain thoughts forsake their own mercy.