(meteorobs) Obs: 12 Sep 2010

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

12 September 2010 04:45-09:30 UT; break 07:45-08:00 UT
(11/12 Sep 11:45pm - 04:30am CDST; break 02:45-03:00am CDST)

McFarland Park Observatory 4 miles NE of Ames, Story County, Iowa, USA

Nu Eridanids
September Epsilon Perseids
South Taurids (replacing Antihelion)
Sporadics

04:45-05:45 UT; 55 deg F; dew pt 51 deg F; wind calm; clear; LM 5.8; facing ENE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
Nu Eridanid: none
Sep E Perseids: none
South Taurids: two: -1; +3
Sporadics: four: 0; +1; +3(2)
Total meteors: six

05:45-06:45 UT; 56 deg F; dew pt 50 deg F; wind SW 5 mph; clear; LM 5.8; facing ENE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
Nu Eridanid: one: -6
Sep E Perseids: three: +2(2); +3
South Taurids: two: 0; +4
Sporadics: two: +3; +4
Total meteors: eight

06:45-07:45 UT; 54 deg F; dew pt 50 deg F; wind SW 7 mph; clear; LM 5.8; facing ENE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
Nu Eridanid: none
Sep E Perseids: two: 0; +4
South Taurids: one: 0
Sporadics: seven: 0; +1; +2(2); +3(2); +4
Total meteors: ten

Break: 07:45-08:00 UT (02:45-03:00 CDST)

08:00-09:00 UT; 53 deg F; dew pt 50 deg F; wind SW 3 mph; clear; LM 5.6; zodiacal light & some horizon haze; facing ENE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
Nu Eridanids: three: -3; +2(2)
Sep E Perseids: one: +1
South Taurids: two: +1(2)
Sporadics: five: -1; +2(2); +3; +4
Total meteors: eleven

09:00-09:30 UT; 50 deg F; dew pt 49 deg F; wind calm; "clear"; LM 5.5; zodiacal light & horizon haze; facing NE 50 deg; total teff 0.5 hour.
Nu Eridanids: one: 0
Sep E Perseids: two: +1; +2
Sporadics: one: +4
Total meteors: four; (30 minutes); I saw no meteors the last 20 minutes.

The two best meteors of the session were both Nu Eridanids: 06:34 mag. -6 with train lasting 15 seconds; near radiant; traveled about 4 degrees.  At first the train was bright orange quickly fading to yellow.  08:31 mag. -3 yellow with 2 second train.  Yes, I did remember to keep South Apex sporadics separate from Nu Eridanid meteors.  There were at least four South Apex sporadics during the session.  South Apex are nice meteors because of their long paths.  

Most of the SPE's were either not at perpendicular enough angle to a line between the "old" and "new" SPE radiants to be able to visually differentiate or began fairly far away.  Meteors from these two radiants may be separable easily enough with video, but visually I doubt it.

It seems that often the next to last dark hour is the best for me.  Usually during the last half hour to hour of dark time the meteor rates drop badly even if I've been observing only two or three hours.  But when I'm watching Perseids near maximum, as long as decent sky conditions hold, the rates continue to climb well into morning twilight.  

Paul Martsching