(meteorobs) Obs: 20 October 2010

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

20 October 2010 07:30-10:45 UT (19/20 Oct 02:30-05:45 am CDST)

McFarland Park 4 miles NE of Ames, Story County, IA, USA.

Epsilon Geminids
Orionids
N Taurids
S Taurids
Sporadics

Lay on hood of station wagon with black umbrella on roof to block bright Moon light.

Perhaps a few "natural" clouds at the beginning, but later it became obvious that all the haze was spreading jet contrails.  A few times I glanced back at the Moon and there were always many brightly lit contrails in the western sky.  After Moon set, the sky looked much better, probably because the spreading contrails were not Moon lit, rather than that the contrails were absent.

07:30-08:30 UT 45 deg F; dew pt 35 deg F; wind West 5 mph; a lot of thin, hazy patches and streaks passing thru; difficult to make LM estimates with such variable conditions; average LM ~4.5; facing East 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
E Geminid: one: +2
Orionids: seven: -1; +1(2); +2; +3(3)
N Taurids: none
S Taurids: two: 0; +2
Sporadics: six: 0; +1(2); +3(3)
Total meteors: sixteen

08:30-09:30 UT 44 deg F; dew pt 35 deg F; wind West 6 mph; lots of hazy, spreading jet contrails drifting from North to South; average LM ~5.0; facing East 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
E Geminids: none
Orionids: thirteen: -2; 0(2); +1(2); +2(4); +3(4)
N Taurids: one: +1
S Taurids: none
Sporadics: two: +3(2)
Total meteors: sixteen

09:30-10:30 UT 43 deg F; dew pt 35 deg F; wind West 7 mph; perhaps fewer spreading jet contrails; Moon set ~10:15 UT; average LM ~5.4; facing East 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
E Geminids: one: +3
Orionids: eight: -1(2); +1(3); +2(2); +4
N Taurids: none
S Taurids: one: 0
Sporadics: nine: 0; +2(3); +3(5)
Total meteors: nineteen

10:30-10:45 UT 15 minutes; 42 deg F; dew pt 35 deg F; wind W 8 mph; "clear"; LM 5.2; total teff 0.25 hour. 
Orionids: four: -6; +1; +2(2)
Sporadics: two: +1; +2
Total meteors: six (15 minutes)

Best meteor: 10:40 UT: mag. -6 blue-white Orionid with 15 second train; ended 12 degrees East of hind legs of Canis Major.