(meteorobs) Obs: 24/25 Nov 2011

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

I hated to pass up a warm night in November, but large patches/areas of haze and cloud kept moving thru the state till at 12:15 am CST it looked like there was a gap big enough that I could observe a couple hours.  I was able to observe three hours before the haze and clouds returned.  The biggest problem was the wind.  I parked my car, so I could set up on the downwind side which helped.  I saw several November Orionids, Leonids and North Taurids, but no Andromedids.

My usual observing site 4 miles NE of Ames, Iowa, USA

25 November 2011 06:45 - 09:45 UT (24/25 Nov 12:45-03:45 CST)

06:45-07:45 UT 52 deg F; dew point 41 deg F; wind South 22 mph, gusting to 28 mph; clear; LM 5.8; facing NNW 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
Leonids: one: +2
North Taurids: one: -1
November Orionids: two: -2; +3
Sporadics: five: 0; +1; +3(3)
Total meteors: nine

07:45-8:45 UT 51 deg F; dew point 42 deg F; wind SW 21 mph, gusting to 26 mph; clear; LM 5.8; facing NNW 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
Leonids: one: +1
North Taurids: four: -4; -3(2); +3
November Orionids: one: +2
Sporadics: seven: +1(2); +2; +3(3); +4
Total meteors: thirteen

08:45-09:45 UT 49 deg F; dew point 42 deg F; wind SW 15 mph, gusting to 23 mph; LM 5.8; facing NNW 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
Leonids: one: +1
North Taurids: one: -3
November Orionids: one: +1
Sporadics: seven: +1(3); +2; +3(2); +4
Total meteors: ten

At 07:11 UT occurred one of the strangest meteors I have ever seen.  I was looking in the Western half of my FOV when I noticed a meteor near the front/head edge of the Bowl of the Big Dipper.  At first I thought perhaps it was only mag +1 when I first noticed it, but since it was so far from where I was looking at the moment, it must have been around 0 magnitude for me to have noticed it.  It traveled slowly, giving me time to shift my eyes toward it and get a good look at the last part of its path.  It ended between Auriga and Gemini, perhaps a bit closer to Gemini.  By the time I got a decent look at the meteor, it had already broken up.  Near the end of its path it consisted of about eight pieces, all about 3rd magnitude, about evenly spaced, and each with its own faint wake.  At the very end these pieces were spread out in an arc about two degrees across and one degree deep - with the more central pieces farther ahead than the pieces on either side.  They all disappeared nearly simultaneously.  

Paul Martsching