(meteorobs) Obs: 04/05 Sept 2008

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

05 September 2008 06:20-08:20 UT (CDST 04/05 Sept 01:20-03:20 am)

Paul Martsching
McFarland Park 4 miles NE of Ames, Story County, Iowa
Long: 93 deg 34 min W  Lat: 52 deg 05 min N  Elevation: ~1,040 feet
Method: Visual; paper pencil & talking clock

06:20-07:20; 47 deg F; wind calm; clear with fog along horizon; during the first
20 minutes the fog was evident up to ~15 degrees above the Eastern horizon;
during most of the remaining 40 minutes the fog was generally confined to a
sharply delineated layer extending up to about 5 degrees above the Eastern
horizon; average limiting magnitude 5.7 (above the fog); facing ENE 50 degrees -
this was definitely the darkest and most fog-free direction; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Sept Perseid: one: +2
Sporadics: four: +2; +3(2); +4
Total meteors: five

07:20-08:20; 45 degrees; wind SW 3 mph; at 07:30 the fog was extending up no
more than 5 degrees; about 08:00 up to 10 degrees; by 08:10 the sky behind me
was becoming very foggy; at 8:20 the fog behind me was moving into my field of
view, so I quit; average limiting magnitude 5.7 (above the fog); facing ENE 50
degrees; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: none
Sept Perseids: two: -3; +4   (-3 yellow with one second train)
Sporadics: four: +1; +3(2); +4
Total meteors: six

If my observing site was not on a hump I would not have been able to observe at
all.  When I started out to my observing site, the was no indication of fog in
Ames, but there were extensive patches of dense fog over the corn fields.  When
I returned home I noticed the same thing - no fog in Ames.  I had thought maybe
the corn had started to dry down some by this time.