(meteorobs) "Capellids" from the northern frontier

[Bruce McCurdy]

    Of all days for the weather to turn foul, it was the one of the 
eagerly-anticipated Aurigid outburst. But Alister Ling and I were determined 
not to let the opportunity  pass without a fight, especially as there was a 
decent chance we would define one limit of the observing network. We headed 
out of Edmonton at 11 p.m. MDT, to a thunderous accompaniment and showers of 
entirely the wrong sort. We drove through steady rain for two hours and 
through gradually thinning cloud for another two. Finally a star pierced 
through the cloud and my passenger window -- fittingly, it was Capella! A 
bright, dancing aurora then simultaneously entertained and concerned us as 
we passed the 55th parallel and finally pulled in to a campground at the 
previously unknown Sturgeon Lake, some 360 km northwest of Edmonton. To our 
shock, at that remote and unplanned spot we ran into the only other group of 
Edmontonians who were known to be chasing the shower -- Lance, Peter, and 
Zoltan. Those odds are long enough to give even Peter Jenniskens pause. :)

    Alas, the spot turned out to be less than perfect, as the clouds seemed 
ever about to lift but never really did -- perhaps a standing wave? -- which 
limited our viewing to near the northern and western horizons and through 
broken clouds. My field of view was 30-70% obscured at all times, and the 
limiting magnitude was terrible, in the low 4s at best. (SQM reading of 17.8 
at the time of the peak) Our "clearest" spot was partly occupied by the 
retreating, low level aurora. While those circumstances would limit the 
scientific value of a "normal" meteor report, that we saw as much as we did 
from our cloudy northern frontier was surely the tip of the iceberg of an 
impressive show.

    My plan was to begin watching early enough to establish a (low) 
background rate, then watch the display ramp up. Incoming heavy clouds nixed 
that idea, inducing a quick power nap and a profound impression of not much 
happening. Refreshed, I settled in to serious counting at 10:52 UT, 45 
minutes before the predicted peak. In those minutes I observed 9 Aurigids, 
of which 6 were zeroeth magnitude or brighter. 8 of the 9 occurred in the 
quarter hour between 11:22 and 11:37. The last of these was observed at 
exactly the time of the putative peak, after which I experienced a 
remarkable drought of zero meteors for the entire rest of the night. While 
skies were brightening, the clouds were finally breaking up, and Capella was 
clearly visible for quite a while, so I was quite surprised to see no more 
meteors, esp. since there had been such a high percentage of bright ones 
earlier. I officially stopped counting after a further half hour, but 
continued to watch and saw nothing more except a magnificent golden eagle 
and a muted sunrise. I concluded the peak must have been a few minutes 
early, and while it was difficult to quantify how strong that peak had been, 
clearly there was enhanced activity over what might have been expected under 
such crummy conditions.

    With the presence of a second radiant within the borders of Auriga, the 
alphas were quickly dubbed the "Capellids", surely a more, uh, compelling 
appellation. They were impressively swift, with all other minor showers 
sluggish in comparison. Many Capellids were yellowish, although there was 
little in the way of persistent trains.

    While I am disappointed that our view of the show was as limited as it 
was, I am nonetheless pleased to have observed some evidence of this 
outburst from the margins of the visibility zone. My congratulations to 
Peter Jenniskens and crew for their accurate, and courageous, prediction of 
the 2007 Capellids!

    Kilometres: 725
    Gasoline: $72
    Total meteors: 12
    Feeling of satisfaction: priceless

    Bruce
    *****

Observer: Bruce McCurdy,  MCCBR
Location: Williamson campground boat launch, Sturgeon Lake (between 
Valleyview and Grande Prairie, AB)
55.082 deg. N., -117.556 deg. W.
Time: 2007 Sep 1, 10:52 - 12:07 UT
Method: visual, microcassette recorder and talking watch

Active radiants:
Sep. Ursae Minorids (SUM?) - 17:24 (261) +83
Antihelion (ANT) - 23:28 (352) -02 30 02:00 2 - 2 II
Alpha Aurigids (AUR)  05:36 (084) +42
66 AUR (66A)  07:24 (111) +39


10:52  start
10:57  AUR  -4  yellowish, brief train, visible through clouds
11:08  66A    0
11:21  SUM  +3
11:22  AUR  -2
11:22  AUR  -3  yellow, 1 second train
11:23  AUR  +2
11:23  SPO  -1  coppery,
11:31  AUR  -1 golden
11:31  AUR   0
11:33  AUR  +1 wide, brief train
11:36  AUR  +2
11:37  AUR   0
12:07  end

Teff = 1.25 hours
LM = 4.0 average
Obscuration = 40% average

SUM (1): +3
ANT: none
AUR (9): -4, -3, -2, -1, 0 (2), +1, +2 (2)
66A (1): 0
SPO (1): -1
Total meteors: twelve