(meteorobs) Obs: 29 July 2009

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

29 July 2009  04:30-09:30 UT  (CDST 28/29 July 11:30 pm - 4:30 am)
(Second post: Corrected times during last half of first hour)
Paul Martsching
McFarland Park 4 miles NE of Ames, Story County, Iowa, USA
Long: 93 deg 34 min W  Lat: 42 deg 05 min N  Elevation: 318 meters

No fireflies; no mosquitoes.  Jupiter annoyingly bright, but conveniently located for making brightness estimates for the brighter meteors.  The night started well, then things slowed down - eventually some extremely thin, diffuse haze was evident.  Things going better again toward morning twilight.  During the last hour Venus was very annoying, but good for making brightness estimates for the brightest meteors.  Some patches of fog during the short drive home.

Observed showers: (only listed in each hourly summary if any meteors from that shower were seen during that hour)
Antihelion
A Capricornids
Perseids
Piscis Austrinids: none seen during the entire five hours
S Delta Aquarids
Sporadics

04:30-05:30; 57 degrees F; dew point 53 degrees F; calm; aver.lim.mag. 5.5 - sky was very clear this hour; half lit Moon very low in the West and setting before 05:00; facing ESE 50 degrees; total teff 1.0 hour
Time    mag    type    comment
04:37   +3       Spor
04:45   +3       SDA
04:52   +4       SDA
04:56     0       Spor   orange
04:57    -2       Spor   yellow; brief train; S of Square from general direction of Deneb
05:06   +4       SDA
05:14   +1       Spor
05:21   +2       Spor
05:23   +5       SDA  very faint
05:25   +2       Spor
05:29    -4       SDA   yellow; 1 second train
S Delta Aquarids: five: -4; +3; +4(2); +5
Sporadics: six: -2; 0; +1; +2(2); +3
Total meteors: eleven

05:30-06:30; 55 deg F; dew pt 53 deg F; calm; clear; aver.lim.mag 5.4; facing ESE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Time    mag    type    comment
05:31    -5       SDA  yellow; 1 second train; ended 3 degrees East of Fomalhaut
05:37   +3       SDA
05:39   +2       Spor
05:47   +1       PER   orange; brief train
06:20   +3       Spor   (N Apex)
06:23   +2       CAP
A Capricornid: one: +2
Perseid: one: +1
S Delta Aquarids: two: -5; +3
Sporadics; two: +2; +3
Total meteors: six

06:30-07:30; 54 deg F; dew pt 52 deg F; calm; clear; aver.lim.mag 5.4; facing ESE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Time    mag    type    comment
06:32   +3       PER
06:59   +2       SDA
07:08   +3       SDA
07:20   +1       PER   one second train
07:25    -1       Spor    yellow; brief train ; W > E across northern Cygnus
7:29     +4       SDA
Perseids: two: +1; +3
S Delta Aquarids: three: +2; +3; +4 
Sporadic: one: -1
Total meteors: six
 
07:30-08:30; 53 deg F; dew pt 51 deg F; calm; "clear"; aver.lim.mag. 5.3; by 08:15 sky glow over Ames brighter and extending higher; facing ESE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Time    mag    type    comment
07:30   +1       SDA   yellow
07:36   +1       SDA   yellow
07:43   +2       PER   brief train
07:44   +3       SDA
08:01   +3       CAP
08:02   +2       Spor
08:24   +4       Spor
08:25   +1       Spor
A Capricornid: one: +3
Perseid: one: +2
S Delta Aquarids: three: +1(2); +3
Sporadics: three: +1; +2; +4
Total meteors: eight

08:30-09:30; 52 deg F; dew pt 50 deg F; calm; "clear"; average limiting magnitude 5.3; sky glow obvious over Nevada in the SE; facing East 50 deg - darker that direction but more difficult to differentiate meteors from southern showers; Venus annoyingly bright; morning twilight in NE 09:15 - 09:30; very heavy dew; total teff 1.0 hour
Time    mag    type    comment
08:39   +2       SDA
08:39   +2       PER   yellow; one second train
08:42   +1       ANT  yellow
08:49   +1       SDA  yellow
08:49   +3       Spor
08:54   +3       SDA
08:51   +2       PER   orange
08:55    -2       Spor   yellow
08:56    -1       ANT  orange
08:57   +4       Spor
09:07    -5       PER   orange; 2 second train
09:14   +1       Spor   yellow
09:17   +1       PER   yellow; brief train
09:18   +3       Spor
09:23   +3       Spor  
09:25   +2       SDA
09:26    -4       Spor   orange; 2 second train; 25 deg path East > West; passed 2 deg N of Mirfak; and just barely clipped North side of "W" of Cassiopeia 
Antihelions: two: -1; +1
Perseids: four: -5; +1; +2(2)
S Delta Aquarids: four: +1; +2(2); +3
Sporadics; seven: -4; -2; +1; +3(3); +4
Total meteors: seventeen

There seems to be an unusual number of bright S Delta Aquarids this year - not a lot,  but the usual faint to average meteors with an occasional bright meteor now and then.