(meteorobs) Meteor Obs Session from Elk Island National Park, 2009-08-24

[Bruce McCurdy]

the stars all fell down from the heavens above
and the darkening moon it reminded me of
how the darkness is merely an absence of light
surrounding me with the grace of night

mercy of darkness
mercy of darkness
mercy of darkness
touching me
touching me

   -- Eivør - "Mercy of Darkness"


    I heard these delightfully appropriate song lyrics during an enjoyable 
three-hour meteor observing session at Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve Sunday 
night/Monday morning. Fulfilling an outstanding obligation to get a Sky 
Quality reading, I decided to observe from within Elk Island National Park, 
which at 196 km² contains the lion's share of the Preserve's area. (Or 
perhaps I should say the bison's share, since large populations of both wood 
and plains bison live within the park's fenced boundaries.)

    I  proceeded to the Hayburger parking lot, which I'm told was the RASC 
Edmonton Centre's primary observing site back in the 1970s. I didn't fall 
into astronomy until the 80s, so observing from this site was a first for 
me. It soon became apparent why we left Hayburger (what's a hayburger 
anyway? fast food for bison?)  SQM readings consistently came in around 21.0 
and limiting magnitude estimates right around 6.0, suggesting this site was 
at least 2 or 3 tenths poorer than our primary site within the smaller (97 
km²) but darker DSP partner, Cooking Lake/Blackfoot Provincial Recreation 
Area. Moreover, passing vehicular traffic -- something we don't have to deal 
with at Blackfoot -- was a nuisance, even at the low rate of ~one vehicle 
per half-hour.

    The Milky Way arched through the zenith and descended vertically into 
the west, where its delicate granular glow was swallowed whole by the 
amorphous, and considerably brighter, dome of artificial light over the 
Capital Region. It was obvious at a glance that the million-plus residents 
living under that light dome have zero chance of seeing our glorious home 
galaxy. I put my back to that depressing view and faced east, where dark 
skies were much better preserved.

    Unaccompanied by man or bison, I opted for some musical companionship, 
and my choice of the Faroe Islands enchantress Eivør Pálsdóttir was rewarded 
with numerous references to darkness and the night sky such as that cited 
above. While I can certainly attest that the stars didn't ALL fall, enough 
did to make for a worthwhile session summarized at bottom. In all I saw 31 
meteors including 4 late kappa Cygnids and 8 even later Perseids. I even 
spotted a likely South Delta Aquariid while setting up, although no more 
during the count period.

    Best of all, at 09:25 I spotted exactly simultaneous paired meteors from 
the Anthelion radiant. The duo, magnitudes +3 and +4, were one above the 
other just a degree or so apart  and ever so slightly diverging across their 
15-degree path (which is what convinced me I wasn't seeing double).

    I also enjoyed the latest view of the Red Triangle of Mars, Aldebaran 
and Betelgeuse, a temporary asterism of first-magnitude rubies which is now 
beginning to elongate as Mars continues its eastward dash; a long hard look 
at epsilon Aurigae which is just beginning its long eclipse but whose fade 
to this point is probably better measured in hundredths of magnitudes rather 
than tenths; and a full intensity, mag -8 flare from Iridium 23. I succeeded 
in getting my SQM reading and in my own small way put our largest DSP 
partner "on the map", as Elk Island National Park now has its very own IMO 
location code. What the hayburger, we might as well do as much "real 
science" as possible to legitimize the status of our DSPs.

    Bruce
    *****

 //
International Meteor Organization
Electronic visual form for 2009-8-24
Header section
night    2009-08-23/24
begin    2009-08-24 0640
end      2009-08-24 0940
observer "McCurdy" "Bruce" "MCCBR"
location 112 51 25 W, 53 38 02 N
site    "Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve (Elk Island)" "Canada" "74420"
reporter "bmccurdy at telusplanet.net"

// Shower section
shower KCG 286 +59
shower ANT
shower SDA 339 -16
shower PER 046 +58
shower SPO

// Number section
// Interval  RA  Dec Teff F    Lm     KCG    ANT    SDA    PER    SPO
period 0640-0740 015 +40 1.000 1.00 6.00 C   2 C   1 -   / C   3 C   3
period 0740-0840 030 +40 1.000 1.00 6.00 C   1 C   1 -   / C   3 C   7
period 0840-0940 045 +40 1.000 1.00 6.00 C   1 C   2 -   / C   2 C   5

// Magnitude section
//                Show Interval        -2    -1    +0    +1    +2    +3 
+4    +5   Tot
distribution KCG 0640-0940  1.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   1.0   1.0   1.0   0.0 
4.0
distribution ANT 0640-0940   0.0   0.0  0.0   0.0   0.0   1.0   2.0   1.0 
4.0
distribution PER 0640-0940   0.0   1.0   2.0   0.0   1.0   3.0   0.0   1.0 
8.0
distribution SPO 0640-0940   0.0   0.0   0.0   5.0   0.0   3.0   4.0   3.0 
15.0

// Personal comments
One SDA observed during set-up but none during official count period.
Simultaneous meteors observed from the Anthelion radiant at 09:25,
only ~1 degree apart, mags +3 and +4.