(meteorobs) Obs: 20/21 October 2007

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

21 October 2007 06:00-09:15 UT (CDST 20/21 Oct 1:00-4:15am)

Paul Martsching
McFarland Park 4 miles NE of Ames, Story County, Iowa
Long: 93 deg 34 min W  Lat: 42 deg 05 min N  Elevation: ~1,040 feet
Method: Visual; paper, pencil & talking clock

EGE = Epsilon Geminid
ORI = Orionid
NTA = North Taurid
STA = South Taurid
Spor = Sporadic

06:00-07:00; 58 degrees F; wind SE 5 mph; generally hazy with very thin clouds;
thick clouds = 10% obstruction; Moon low in SW during most of this hour but Moon
set brought little improvement; average limiting magnitude ~5.0; facing ESE 45
degrees; total teff 1.0 hour
EGE: none
ORI: seven: -3; -1; 0; +1(2); +2, +3
NTA: one: +1
STA: none
Spor: none
Total meteors: eight

07:00-08:00; 55 degrees F; wind calm; hazy cloud drifting thru; average limiting
magnitude 5.4; facing ESE 45 degrees; total teff 1.0 hour
EGE: one: +1
ORI: eighteen: -2; -1(2); 0(5); +1(5); +2(2); +3(3)
NTA: none
STA: none
Spor: two: -1; +4
Total meteors: twenty-one

08:00-09:15; 52 degrees F; wind calm; "clear"; average limiting magnitude 5.8;
facing ESE 45 degrees; total teff 1.25 hour
EGE: none
ORI: twenty-two: -1; 0; +1(2); +2(6); +3(10); +4(2)
NTA: none
STA: none
Total meteors: twenty-seven

NOTE: Eighteen Orionids 2-3 am and 3-4 am CDST (07:00-09:00 UT) - in spite of
better sky conditions second hour.

After 09:15 (4:15am CDST) sky conditions quickly worsened and after waiting
another hour I finally gave up and left.

Orionid magnitude distribution for the entire session (3.25 hours):

 forty-seven: -3; -2; -1(4); 0(7); +1(9); +2(10); +3(14); +4(2)