(meteorobs) Quadrantids Obs. 01/03/09 - Greenbelt, MD

[George Gliba]

      Quadrantids Meteor Shower - Greenbelt, Maryland 390016N 0765233W
                  January 02/03, 2009 - 09:40 to 11:40 UT

  It was a really good Quadrantids for me considering that I was in 
Greenbelt,
near the Greenbelt Observatory, and not at Screech Owl Hill Observatory. 
I was
really impressed, despite the light pollution and twilight interference 
after
11:20 UT. I saw the Quadrantid bolide beauty that Richard Taibi saw at 
9:50 UT,
but I must have missed the terminal burst as I estimated it to be 
brighter than
Jupiter (remembered) and fainter than Venus (remembered). So, I 
estimated it at
-3 magnitude. It also had a lovely blue-green color, and an 8 second train!

  There were also several other QUAs that were 0 magnitude or brighter. 
Of the
109 QUAs seen from 09:40 to 11:40 UT, the average QUA was a bright 1.5 
magnitude,
but in a darker sky the average was probably lower. There also was good 
activity
observed from the COMs, with 6 being seen during the two hour period. An 
excellent
display, and the best Quadrantids I have ever seen.


  Time (UT)   LM   %Obst. ANT  COM  QUA  NPX  SPX  SPO  Total  Comments
09:40-10:40   5.1    0%    1    3    49   0    0    7    60    some haze
10:40-11:40   4.9    0%    1    3    60   1    0    3    68  some twilight

Magnitude Distributions (09:40-11:40 UT - LM=5.0, some haze & twilight)

    -4  -3  -2  -1   0   1   2   3   4  total  Ave.
ANT  0   0   0   0   0   2   0   0   0    2    1.0
COM  0   0   0   0   1   1   1   1   2    6    2.3
QUA  0   1   1   2  10  31  28  28   8  109    1.5
NPX  0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0    1    1.0
SPX  0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0    0    N/A
SPO  0   0   0   0   0   1   0   2   7   10    3.5

Clear Skies,
GWG