(meteorobs) Draconids from Alberta

[Bruce McCurdy]

    Made a second attempt at the traditional "peak" of the 
Giacobind/Draconid shower starting in the evening hours of October 8. The 
first hour from 22:00 to 23:00 local time (MDT) was particularly interesting 
with several sightings of slow, stately streakers from obscure radiants. In 
two hours of Teff I saw two Draconids, two October Camelopardalids, and 
exactly one each from four other radiants. Perhaps significant among these 
was an unambiguous observation of an Epsilon Ursa Minorid that was close to 
being a point meteor just a couple of degrees from the radiant, right there 
by the handle of the Little Dipper. This was a day early for the listed 
activity of October 10-16, but I am very confident in the radiant. There 
were also two very similar slow red meteors that both emanated from 
Camelopardalis and soared into Ursa Major which I deemed to be OCAs. Not 
sure if the source "should" still be active, but the meteors were consistent 
both with that radiant and with each other: very similar in appearance, 
colour, duration, direction ...

    Not huge numbers but a very worthwhile session.

    Bruce
    *****


Observer: Bruce McCurdy  MCCBR
Date: 2007 October 9, 0400 - 0625 UT; Teff = 2.0 hours
Location: Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve (Blackfoot); IMO location code 
51128
53°32'12" N, 112° 46m 48s W, elevation 711 metres
Limiting magnitude: 5.8 to 5.9 throughout (SQM = ~ 21.1)
Direction faced: north, centred on Polaris
Method: Visual; microcassette recorder and talking watch

Active radiants:
Epsilon Ursae Minorids (EUR) 16:32 (248) +82
Draconids (GIA)  17:28 (262) +54
Northern Taurid (NTA)  01:52 (028) +14
Southern Taurid (STA)  02:00 (030) +08
Orionids (ORI)  05:44 (86) +14
Delta Aurigids (DAU)  06:00 (090) +49
October Camelopardalids (OCA) 11:00 (165), +79


0400    start    LM = 5.8
0401    SPO    0    "bright, wiggly"
0402    GIA    +2   v. slow, under Big Dipper handle
0408    OCA    0    slow, 2 s meteor, 30 deg. path just above Big Dipper, 
fade and return, brief wake, red
0418    SPO    +5
0421    EUR    +3    v. slow, v. short wake very near radiant
0435    OCA    +1    slow, 1.5 s meteor, 20 deg. into bowl of Big Dipper, 
brief wake, reddish (v. similar to 0408!)
0500    SPO    0    brief wake, into bowl of Little Dipper

0400-0500 = 1.0 hour Teff
1 EUR        +3
1 GIA        +2
0 NTA
0 STA
0 ORI
0 DAU
2 OCA      0, +1
3 SPO       0 (2), +5
Total meteors: seven
***

0500-0530 -- power nap
***

0530    start    LM = 5.90
0539    GIA    +2    very slow! "just crawling along" white wake, persistent 
train ~0.5s
0548    SPO    +4
0558    DAU    +1
0608    NTA    0    brief wake, pers. train ~0.5 s
0612    SPO    +5
0630    STA    +0

0530-0630 = 1.0 hour Teff
0 EUR
1 GIA    +2
1 NTA    0
1 STA    0
0 ORI
1 DAU    +1
0 OCA
2 SPO    +4, +5
Total meteors: six
***

Total 0400-0630 = 2.0 hours Teff
1 EUR    +3
2 GIA    +2 (2)
1 NTA    0
1 STA    0
0 ORI
1 DAU    +1
2 OCA     0, +1
5 SPO    0 (2), +4, +5 (2)
Total meteors: thirteen
*****