(meteorobs) Lyrids 21/22 April

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

22 April 2009 06:30-07:30 UT (1:30-2:30 am CDST 21/22 April) 

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: 318 meters
Method: Visual; paper, pencil & talking clock

When I got ready to observe at 06:15 it was so cloudy I thought I might not observe at all.  By 06:30 conditions had improved.

06:30-07:30; 40 degrees F; wind calm; 10% clouds - usually around the edges of my field of view; average limiting magnitude 5.6; facing East 50 degrees first 45 minutes, ENE next 10 minutes, SE last 5 minutes - to avoid clouds as much as possible; total teff 1.0 hour

Antihelion: none
Lyrids: eight: 0, +1(2), +2, +3(2), +4, +5    (two yellow; two with brief trains)
Sporadics: two: +1, +3
Total meteors: ten 

During the next hour I saw 3 Lyrids (-3 orange, train; -2 yellow, train; +1) amongst the clouds.  I gave up and went home.  It finally began clearing around 7:30 am as I was walking to work.  There was thin overcast the following morning.