(meteorobs) Eclipse Meteor Obs-HALWA

[meteoreye at comcast.net]

I did go out during the eclipse, both to watch it and do a meteor watch. 



LM was pretty good (not great) during the eclipse. 



UT Date was Dec 21, 2010. 



I planned to watch during the whole partial phases, but due to the brutal wind, wound up watching 0.6 hours on either side of totality. Rates were not very good, meteors were dim and sparse. So the first and last periods below were during the darker half of the partial eclipse, the middle two dur ing the total eclipse. F was 1.00 throughout. The eclipse was gorgeous. FOV was az 120 @ 60 degees elevation ( tilted my head back to see the eclipse)...since the moon  was very close to ANT radiant and I use the alignment cord, it was no problem to ID ANT meteor . 



Location: NJAA Observatory, High Bridge, NJ (40d 40m 52s N, 74d 53m 54s W) 



Showers monitored: 



ANT: RA 102 (6:48), Dec +23, vel 30 km/s 

HYD: RA 136 (9:02), Dec +0, v 59 (past IMO working list period, radiant  from WGN 37:4) 

DLM: RA 162 (10:48), Dec +30, v64 

COM: RA 178 (11:51), Dec +18, v65 (I used WGN 37:4 position, since IMO uses that in 2011 calendar) 

URS: RA 214 (14:18), Dec +75, v33 (WGN 37:4 position, in the sky very close to IMO radiant) 



UTC Date Dec 21, 2010 

Start 0705 end 0929 



Time.....Teff ...LM 

0705-0741 0.600  +5.33  1 ANT, 1 DLM. 1 SPO, 3 Total (5.0/hr) 

0741-0817 0.600  +5.50  1 URS, 1 Total  (1.7/hr) 

0817-0853 0.600  +5.57  1 COM, 2 SPO, 3 Total (5.0/hr) 

0853-0929 0.600  +5.43  3 SPO, 3 Total (5.0/hr) 



For Mark: 

0705-0817 1.200 +5.41 1 ANT, 1 DLM, 1 URS, 1 SPO (4 total) 

0817-0929 1.200 +5.50 1 COM, 5 SPO, (6 Total) 



Session Total: 2.400 Teff 

1 ANT (mag +3) 

1 DLM (mag +3.5) 

1 COM (mag +2) 

1 URS (mag +3) 

6 SPO (avg mag +3.92) (2.5/hr) 



10 meteors (4.2/hr) 

Average magnitude +3.40 



I also planned to observe the peak night, but a thin layer of cirrus, illuminated by the just past full moon made the LM ~ +1, so it wasn't worth the effort :( 



Wayne T Hally