(meteorobs) Obs: 24 August 2009

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

Paul Martsching

NOTE: My Iowa Star Party meteor report given as 21 August should have been 22 August UT.  The CDST date of 21/22 August given was correct.  I'm still recovering from having been up all night three nights in a row.

Iowa Star Party: Whiterock Conservancy star field
NW Guthrie County, Iowa; 6 miles SE of Coon Rapids, Carroll County, Iowa

Long: 94 deg 38 min 30.6 sec W  Lat: 41 deg 48 min 15 sec N  Elevation: 1,265 feet
Method: Visual; paper, pencil and talking clock

Most of this night there were spreading jet contrails and more or less cirrus.  The sky glow over Council Bluffs/Omaha was much brighter than usual in the West and the sky glow over Des Moines was bright in the East.  Late in the night the sky glow over Council Bluffs/Omaha faded down to it's usual brightness.  The cirrus was moving West to East and it cleared the Council Bluffs/Omaha area and very late in the night it cleared over head; the sky glow remained bright over Des Moines to the East till day light.  

In spite of not being able to "perceive" the sky as being any better than 6.2 by the area count method, it was a lot easier to see faint meteors at this location than my usual observing site NE of Ames.  This night it almost never got that good because of cirrus and spreading jet contrails.

24 August 2009 02:30 - 09:45 UT  Break 03:30 - 04:45 UT
23/24 August  09:30 pm - 04:45 am CDST Break 10:30 - 11:45 pm

Observed showers:
Antihelion: mentioned in hourly summaries only if any seen during that hour
Kappa Cygnids
Perseids
Sporadics

02:30-03:30 UT 73 deg F; dew point 68 deg F; wind South 7 mph; LM 5.9; thin cirrus and spreading jet contrails; facing N 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Antihelion: one: +2
Kappa Cygnid: none
Perseids: none
Sporadics: three: +2(2); +3
Total meteors: four

Break: 03:30-04:45 UT (looking thru several different telescopes, etc)

04:45-05:45 UT 63 deg F; dew pt 60 deg F; wind SE 3 mph; cirrus and jet contrails; LM 5.9; facing N 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Kappa Cygnids: two: -2; +1
Persieds: none
Sporadics: six: +2(3); +3; +4(2)
Total meteors: eight

05:45-06:45 UT 60 deg F; dew pt 56 deg F; calm; cirrus and jet contrails; LM 5.9; facing N 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Kappa Cygnids: one: +1
Perseids: one: +1
Sporadics: eight: +1(2); +2; +3(3); +4(2)
Total meteors: ten

06:45-07:45 UT 57 deg F; dew pt 55 deg F; calm; less cirrus; LM 6.0; facing N 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Kappa Cygnids: none
Perseids: one: 0
Sporadics: nine: +1(4); +2(3); +3(2)
Total meteors: ten

07:45-08:45 UT 57 deg F; dew pt 55 deg F; calm; clear; LM 6.1; facing N 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Kappa Cygnids: one: -3 yellow
Perseids: one: 0
Sporadics: seven: +2(3); +3(3); +4
Total meteors: nine

08:45-09:45 UT 57 deg F; dew pt 55 deg F; calm; clear; LM 6.1; facing N 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Kappa Cygnids: none
Perseids: none
Sporadics: twelve: 0(2); +2(3); +3(6); +4
Total meteors: twelve

The temperature and dew point stayed the same during the last three hours.  Very heavy dew.