(meteorobs) Obs: 28/29 Aug 2008

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

29 August 2008 02:55-10:20 UT (various breaks); (CDST 28/29 Aug 9:55 pm - 5:20 am)

Paul Martsching
Iowa Star Party: NW Guthrie County, Iowa; ~6 miles SE of Coon Rapids, Iowa
Long: 94 deg 38 min W  Lat: 41 deg 48 min N  Elevation: 390 meters (~1,280 feet)
Method: Visual; paper, pencil & talking clock

Note: The meteors I have called September Perseids were fast with a fair number
of trains.  If the line on the IMO chart giving the SPE's radiant position on
various dates was extended in the August direction to include these dates, the
position would approximate the radiant position of the meteors I saw.  Several
of these were very short (one to three degrees) and gave a good estimation of
the radiant location.  The first night I saw only three SPE's and there is
always the possibility with any meteor of that particular meteor being merely a
sporadic, lined up the the radiant, and having characteristics of meteors from
that radiant.  But more were seen the second night.

02:55-03:55; 65 deg F; wind NW 5 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.2; facing ENE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: none
Sporadics: seven: +1; +2(2); +3(4)
Total meteors: seven

04:00-05:00; 63 deg F; wind NW 8 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.2; facing ENE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: two -1(2) yellow and orange
Aurigid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: none
Sporadics: six: -2; +2(2); +3; +4(2)
Total meteors: eight

05:05-06:05; 60 deg F; wind NW 4 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.2; facing ENE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: none
Kappa Cygnid: one: 0  white
Sept Perseid: none
Sporadics: five: +2; +3(2); +4; +5
Total meteors: six

06:10-07:10; 58 deg F; wind NW 4 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.2; facing ENE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: none
Kappa Cygnid: one: +4
Sept Perseid: none
Sporadics: five: +1(2); +2; +3; +4
Total meteors: six

07:15-08:15; 56 deg F; wind NW 3 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.2; facing ENE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: one: +3
Sporadics: ten: -2; -1; 0; +1; +2(3); +3; +4(2)
Total meteors: eleven

08:20-09:20; 52 deg F; wind calm; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.0; facing ENE 50 deg;
total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: one: +3    one second train
Eridanid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: one: +3
Sporadics: five: 0; +2; +3; +4(2)
Total meteors: seven

09:20-10:20; 50 deg F; wind calm; clear; aver. lim. mag. 5.6 (zodiacal light,
then morning twilight); facing ENE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigids: one: +2    brief train
Eridanid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: one: +4
Sporadics: three: +1; +3(2)
Total meteors: five

-------------------------------------------------------

30 August 2008 04:00-10:05 UT (various breaks)(CDST 29/30 Aug 11:00-05:05 am)
Iowa Star Party

04:00-05:00; 68 deg F; wind S 5 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.2; facing ENE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: one: +1    one second train
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: none
Sporadics: five: -4; +1; +2(2); +3
Total meteors: six

05:05-06:05; 66 deg F; wind S 5 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.2; facing ENE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: two: 0(2)   both orange
Aurigid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: none
Sporadics: two: +1; +3
Total meteors: four

06:10-07:10; 64 deg F; wind S 5 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.2; facing ENE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseids: four: +2(2); +3; +4   (one brief train)
Sporadics: six: +2(2); +3(3); +5
Total meteors: ten

07:55-08:55; 62 deg F; wind S 5 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.2; facing ENE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: none
Eridanid: one: +1    brief train
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseids: three: +1(2); +2      (one brief train)
Sporadics: seven: +1; +2(3); +3(2); +4
Total meteors: eleven

09:05-10:05; 60 deg F; wind S 5 mph; clear; some horizon haze in East; zodiacal
light; then morning twilight; aver. lim. mag. 5.9; facing ENE 50 deg; total teff
1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: none
Eridanid: none
Sporadics: ten: 0; +1(4); +2; +3(3); +4
Total meteors: ten

-------------------------------------------------

31 August 02:30-10:10 UT (CDST 30/31 Aug 9:30 pm - 5:20 am) various breaks

02:30-03:30; 70 deg F; wind S 5 mph; clear, but more sky glow over Des Moines in
the East than on previous two nights; aver. lim. mag. 6.1; facing NE 50 deg;
total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sporadics: four: +1; +2(2); +3
Total meteors: four

03:30-04:30; 67 deg F; wind S 5 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.1; facing NE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: none
Sporadics: seven: +3(4); +4(2); +5
Total meteors: seven

05:00-06:00; 62 deg F; wind S 5 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.1; facing NE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: one: +3
Kappa Cygnids: two: 0; +1    white; orange
Sept Perseid: one: +3
Sporadics: three: 0; +3(2)
Total meteors: seven

06:00-07:00; 60 deg F; wind S 5 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.1; facing NE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: one: +3
Aurigid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: none
Sporadics: four: +3(2); +4(2)
Total meteors: five

07:00-08:00; 58 deg F; wind S 8 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.2; facing NE 50
deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseids: three: +3; +4(2)
Sporadics: nine: 0; +1(2); +2(3); +3(3)
Total meteors: twelve

08:00-09:00; 56 deg F; wind S 10 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 6.1; facing E 55
deg; turned to East to have better view for Eridanids; but looked "high" because
of the sky glow over Des Moines in the East; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigids: two: 0(2)     both white; one train lasting one second
Eridanid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: one: +3
Sporadics: six: -2; -1; +2; +3(2); +4
Total meteors: nine

09:10-10:10; 54 deg F; wind S 12 mph; clear; aver. lim. mag. 5.7; zodiacal
light, then morning twilight; facing E 55 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: one: +1
Aurigids: two: +1; +2     one yellow; one brief train
Eridanid: one: +3
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: none
Sporadics: five: +2; +3(3); +4
Total meteors: nine

----------------------------------------------------

01 September 2008 02:30-10:15 UT (CDST 31 Aug/01 Sep 9:30 pm - 5:15 am)
various breaks
Iowa Star Party

02:30-03:30; 73 deg F; wind S 12 mph; clear; hazy horizon; aver. lim. mag. 6.0;
facing NE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: none
Sporadics: five: +1(2); +2(3)
Total meteors: five

03:30-04:30; 71 deg F; wind S 12 mph; clear; hazy horizon; aver. lim. mag. 6.0;
facing NE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: one: +1
Kappa Cygnid: one: +1    orange
Sept Perseid: one: +3
Sporadics: two: +2; +3
Total meteors: five

05:30-06:30; 69 deg F; wind S 12 mph; clear with horizon haze; aver. lim. mag.
6.0; facing NE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: none
Sporadics: three: +2; +3; +4
Total meteors: three

06:30-07:30; 67 deg F; wind S 5-10 mph; clear with horizon haze; aver. lim. mag.
6.0; facing NE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: one: +3
Aurigid: one: +3
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: one: +2     brief train
Sporadics: six: -2(2); 0; +3; +4; +5
Total meteors: nine

07:30-08:30; 64 deg F; wind S ~10 mph; clear with increasing horizon haze; aver.
lim. mag. 5.8; 07:30-08:00 facing NE 50 deg; 08:00-08:30 facing E 55 deg; total
teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: one: +1    orange
Aurigid: one: +3
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: one: -1    orange; one second train
Sporadics: three: +2(2); +3
Total meteors: six

08:30-09:30; 60 deg F; wind S 8 mph; clear with increasing horizon haze; aver.
lim. mag. 5.7; facing E 55 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: none
Eridanid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseid: one: +2
Sporadics: five: +2; +3(3); +5
Total meteors: six

09:30-10:15; 58 deg F; wind S ~5 mph; clear with a lot of horizon haze; aver.
lim. mag. 5.5; zodiacal light; then morning twilight; facing E 55 deg; total
teff 0.75 hour
Antihelion: none
Aurigid: two: 0; +1    both yellow; brief train and one second train
Eridanid: none
Kappa Cygnid: none
Sept Perseids: two: +4(2)
Sporadics: seven: 0; +1; +2(2); +3(2); +4
Total meteors: eleven (forty-five minutes)

In the six years since the Iowa Star Party was started this is the first time it
has been clear four nights - tho the fourth night was not as quite as good as
the first three.