(meteorobs) FW: Obs: 18 & 19 November

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

----------------------  Forwarded Message:  ---------------------
From:    pmartsching at mchsi.com
To:      daveoesper at mac.com (Dave Oesper)
Subject: Obs: 18 & 19 November
Date:    Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:49:30 +0000

It was overcast all night Nov 16/17 in central Iowa.

It cleared by the evening of the 17th so I went out looking for Taurids.

Usual observing site 4 miles NE of Ames, Iowa

18 Nov 2008 01:40-03:40 UT (CST 17/18 Nov 07:40 - 09:40 pm)

01:40-02:40; 26 deg F; wind N 10 mph; 5% cloud cover and some patches of thin
haze passing thru, especially during first half hour; aver.lim.mag. 5.5; facing
East 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
North Taurids: one: +3
South Taurids: none
Sporadics: none
Total meteors: one!

02:40-03:40; 25 deg F; wind N 12 mph; clear; aver.lim.mag. 5.7; facing East 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
North Taurids: two: -5; +3
South Taurids: none
Sporadics: three: +2; +3; +4
Total meteors: five

Then I went out in the morning looking for Leonids.

18 Nov 2008 09:00-11:30 UT (CST 17/18 Nov 03:00-05:30 am)

09:00-10:00; 18 deg F; wind NW 5 mph; clear; half+ lit Moon well up in East;
aver.lim.mag. ~5.0; facing NNE 45 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Leonids: eight: -3; -1; 0; +1; +2(2); +3(2)
North Taurids: one: -1
Sporadics: three: +2; +3(2)
Total meteors: twelve

10:00-11:00 UT; 18 deg F; calm; Moon light; aver.lim.mag. ~5.0; facing NNE 45
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Leonids: eight: 0; +1(3); +2; +3(2); +4
Taurids: none
Sporadics: four: +2(2); +3; +4
Total meteors: twelve

11:00-11:30; 17 deg F; calm; Moon light; aver.lim.mag. ~5.0; facing NNE 45 deg;
total teff 0.5 hour (30 minutes)
Leonids: three: -2; +1; +2
Taurids: none
Sporadics: three: +3(3)
Total meteors: six (30 minutes)

Next night 18/19 November; usual observing site 4 miles NE of Ames, Iowa

19 Nov 2008 08:15-10:15 UT (CST 18/19 Nov 02:15-04:15 am)

08:15-09:15; 27 deg F; wind South 7 mph; "fair"; spreading jet contrails and
patches of thin haze drifting thru and lit by the Moon; aver.lim.mag. 5.0;
facing North 45 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Leonids: five: 0; +2(2); +3; +4
North Taurids: one: 0
Sporadics: three: +1; +3(2)
Total meteors: nine

09:15-10:15; 25 deg F; wind South 7 mph; clear with Moon light; aver.lim.mag.
~5.2; facing North 45 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Leonids: one: +3
North Taurids: one: +1
Sporadics: four: +2; +3(2); +4
Total meteors: six

Better conditions last hour, but fewer meteors seen.  Late in last hour more
crud coming in from the North and I had a head ache, so I went home.