(meteorobs) Orionids 21 Oct 2008

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

21 Oct 2008 05:00-11:00 UT (CDST 20/21 Oct midnight - 6:00 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

Last Quarter (half-lit) Moon rose before midnight.  I used a black umbrella to
block direct Moon light from my face.  Faced NNW ~50 degrees through out the six 
hours. With the sky glow over Ames in the Southwest, and the Moon in the East
this was the darkest direction.  
 
NOTE: Facing this direction, it is not possible to distinguish Epsilon Geminids
from Orionids, so all EGE's are counted as ORI's.

Hourly summaries:

05:00-06:00; 35 deg F; wind calm; clear; half-lit Moon low in East; ave.lim.mag.
5.7; facing NNW ~50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Orionids: six: 0; +1(3); +2; +4
Taurids: two: 0; +1
Sporadics: three: +1; +3(2)
Total meteors: eleven

06:00-07:00; 34 deg F; wind calm; clear; half-lit Moon; ave.lim.mag. 5.5; facing
NNW ~50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Orionids: six: -1; 0; +1; +3; +4(2)
Taurid: none
Sporadics: two: +3(2)
Total meteors: eight

07:00-08:00; 37 deg F; wind NE 3 mph; clear; half-lit Moon; ave.lim.mag. 5.4;
facing NNW ~50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Orionids: thirteen: -2(2); -1; 0; +2(3); +3(4); +4(2)
Taurid: none
Sporadics: two: +1; +3
Total meteors: fifteen

08:00-09:00; 36 deg F; wind calm; clear; half-lit Moon; ave.lim.mag. 5.3; facing
NNW ~50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Orionids: seventeen: -2; 0(2); +1(3); +2(5); +3(4); +4(2)
Taurid: one: -2
Sporadics: four: -2; +2(2); +3
Total meteors: twenty-two

09:00-10:00; 35 deg F; wind calm; half-lit Moon; ave.lim.mag. 5.2; facing NNW
~50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Orinoids: twenty-two: -3; -2; -1(2); 0(3); +1(3); +2(5); +3(5); +4(2)
Taurid: none
Sporadics: four: +2; +3(2); +4
Total meteors: twenty-six

10:00-11:00; 34 deg F; wind East 3 mph; clear; half-lit Moon high in the sky;
ave.lim.mag. 5.0; facing NNW ~50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Orionids: eighteen: -4; -1(2); +1; +2(6); +3(7); +4
Taurids: none
Sporadics: two: +1; +2
Total meteors: twenty

There may have been several more +4 Orionids - sometimes I just wasn't sure.  

It is entirely possible that several fast sporadics are included in the Orionid
totals.  But, in general, sporadic counts really suffer when the limiting
magnitude worsens. 

Until I began going thru my log sheets, I had no idea that I'd seen so many
Orionids - especially in the bright Moon light!