(meteorobs) Obs: 29/30 July 2008

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

30 July 2008 05:00 - 09:00 UT (CDST 29/30 July 12:00 - 04:00 am)

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

05:00-06:00; 70 degrees F; wind West 6 mph; "clear" some haze in South from edge
of departing cloud bank; average limiting magnitude 5.4 - limiting magnitude
gradually getting better during the hour; facing SE 45 degrees; total teff 1.0 hour
Time   mag.   type   comment
05:05  +3     Spor
05:06  +3     Spor
05:14  +4     Spor
04:21  +4     SDA
04:22  +3     PER
04:22  +2     SDA
05:36  +3     SDA
05:37  -2     SDA    Orange; 1 second train; ended near Deneb
05:47  +3     SDA
05:49  +5     SDA
Antihelion: none
Capricornid: none
Pisces Austrinid: none
Perseid: one: +3
South Delta Aquarids: six: -2; +2; +3(2); +4; +5
Sporadics: three: +3(2); +4
Total meteors: ten

06:00-07:00; 70 deg F; wind SW 6 mph; clear; average limiting magnitude 5.5;
facing SE 45 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Time   mag.   type   comment
06:07  +1     SDA
06:14  +3     SDA
06:17  +3     Spor
06:18  +2     ANT
06:18  +2     SDA
06:18  +3     SDA
06:21  +3     SDA
06:26  +1     ANT    yellow
06:38  +1     ANT
06:39  +3     Spor
06:46  +1     Spor
06:49  +3     Spor
Antihelion: three: +1(2); +2
Capricornid: none
Pisces Austrinid: none
Perseid: none
South Delta Aquarids: five: +1; +2; +3(3)
Sporadics: four: +1, +3(3)
Total meteors: twelve

07:00-08:00; 68 deg F; calm; clear; aver.lim.mag. 5.6; facing SE 45 deg; total
teff 1.0 hour
Time   mag.   type   comment
07:00  +3     Spor
07:07  +2     PER
07:09   0     CAP
07:15  +1     ANT
07:16  +3     Spor
07:20  +3     Spor
07:28  +2     Spor
07:39  +3     Spor
07:40  +2     PER
07:42  +4     SDA
07:52  +2     Spor
07:58  +1     SDA
07:59  +3     SDA
Antihelion: one: +1
Capricornid: one: 0
Pisces Austrinid: none
Perseids: two: +2(2)
South Delta Aquarids: three: +1, +3, +4
Sporadics: six: +2(2); +3(4)
Total meteors: thirteen

08:00-09:00; 67 deg F; wind South 5 mph; clear; aver.lim.mag. 5.5; very thin
crescent Moon rose late in the hour; facing SE 45 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Time   mag.  type   comment
08:05  +2    SDA
08:13  +1    SDA    brief train
08:14  +1    SDA    orange
08:15  +4    Spor
08:28  +2    SDA
08:32  +3    Spor
08:39  +1    SDA    yellow
08:40  +2    PER
08:44  -3    Spor   orange; 1 second train; S of Hyades to Cassiopeia 
08:52  +3    SDA
08:55  +2    Spor
08:56  +4    Spor
Antihelion: none
Capricornid: none
Pisces Austrinid: none
Perseid: one: +2
South Delta Aquarids: six: +1(3); +2(2); +3
Sporadics: five: -3; +2; +3; +4(2)
Total meteors: twelve

SDA magnitude distribution for four hours; average limiting mag. 5.5:
Seventeen: -2; +1(5); +2(3); +3(5); +4(2); +5

Sporadic mag. dist. for four hours: eighteen: -3; +1; +2(3); +3(10); +4(3)

Jets by hour: 7; 3; 12; 13 

Several possible meteors discounted because of the number of fireflies.