(meteorobs) Obs: 4 Sep 2010 UT

[David Oesper]

4 Sep 2010 0600-0800 UT (4 Sep 1:00 - 3:00 a.m. CDT)

David Oesper
ESE of Alpine, TX
Sierra la Rana
30 21 15.7 N, 103 33 55.6 W, ~5175 ft.
Method: Visual, digital voice recorder, talking clock

0600-0800 UT; Teff = 2.0 hours
Meteors: 19

S = Sporadic or meteors with unknown radiant

0554 sky brightness: zenith SQM 21.72 ~6.5

0600 begin session; sky clear; winds almost calm; facing north; the lower part of the bowl of the Big Dipper is below the horizon!  [<--an Iowan now in West Texas]
0603 S +3 ;  heading N in Aql
0608 S +4 ;  heading towards Cep in Cam
0609 S +4 ;  in Ari; fast
0613 S +4 ;  heading W in Oph
0633 S +2 ;  heading NW in western And; brief train
0643 S +3 ;  heading towards NW horizon from just right of the head of Dra
0643 S +5 ;  in UMi above the bowl of the Little Dipper heading down towards NNW horizon; short trail
0644 S +3 ;  heading S in Lac
0657 S +1 ;  heading towards NW horizon from near the head of Dra
0658 S +3 ;  in Lac heading towards Cyg

Hourly totals, 0600-0700 UT: 10 meteors

0705 There is a periodically flashing object in Cam heading towards the NE horizon; P ~ 4.7 seconds
0707 S +1 ;  UMi-Cep border region heading into Dra; train
0714 S +3 ;  Cas-Lac border region heading towards Cep; fast
0716 S +2 ;  Cas-Lac border region heading towards Cep - almost the same path as the previous meteor
0727 S +0 ;  Per towards Gamma Cep; train.  Early September Perseid?
0738 S +3 ;  in Tri heading towards Ari
0740 S +3?; Tri-And  border region heading towards Cas; fast
0747 S +2 ;  Through the Square of Peg down towards the SW horizon.  Early September Perseid?
0752 S +3 ;  between the Pleiades and Aur heading towards Cep
0759 S +4 ;  between Tri and the Pleiades, heading towards the SE horizon
0800 end session; sky clear

Hourly totals, 0700-0800 UT: 9 meteors

0803 sky brightness: zenith SQM 21.79 ~6.5

Limiting Magnitude = [(SQM-8.89)/2]+ 0.04
SQM = Sky Quality Meter

Comments:

(1)  An interesting "spur" of the Milky Way extends into the Cepheus quadrilateral

(2)  I am able to split the Double Cluster in the Perseus with the unaided eye, to see two distinct clusters and their orientations!

(3)  In general when I observe meteors, I often think I see a fainter meteor, usually in my peripheral field, but I'm not absolutely sure about it, so I don't usually count it.  Do other meteor observers experience this as well and if so, how do you handle it?

(4)  Immediately following this session, I familiarized myself with two new southern constellations that are never well seen from Iowa-Wisconsin: Grus and Phoenix.  Grus does indeed look like a crane!