(meteorobs) Orionids Friday morning

[pmartsching at mchsi.com]

I went out to McFarland Park for a while Friday morning.  The first two hours were very poor for Orionids, but at 06:30 UT there was a pale yellow mag - 8 NTA. After a break I faced NNW to get away from Moon light and Orionid rates were better as the radiant rose higher but the limiting magnitude got a little worse as the Moon also rose higher.  Facing NNW made it more difficult to separate NTA's from STA's so I called them all Taurids.  Also it was not possible to separate Epsilon Geminids from Orionids.  The one EGE longed was seen because I was looking far back overhead tracing back the path of an Orionid.   I quit at 10:35 UT because I was very tired; I was awake, but having difficulty being alert.  Also it was cold.

04:45-05:45 UT 30 deg F; dew pt 25 deg F; wind West 5 mph; clear; LM 5.8; facing East 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Orionids: one: +4
NTA: one: +2
STA: one: +2
Sporadics: two: +2; +3
Total meteors: five

05:45 - 06:45 UT 32 deg F; dew pt 25 deg F; wind West 6 mph; clear; LM 5.7; facing East 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
Orionids: two: +1(2)
NTA: one: - 8
STA: two: -3; +1
Sporadics: three: 0; +3(2)
Total meteors: eight

After break and changing direction:

07:05 - 08:05 UT 30 deg F; dew pt 25 deg F; wind West 3 mph; clear; LM 5.6; facing NNW 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
EGE: one: +1 (yellow with train)
ORI: four: 0; +2; +4(2)
Taurids: two: +1; +3
Sporadics: three: +3(3)
Total meteors: ten

08:05 - 09:05 UT 28 deg F; dew pt 24 deg F; wind calm; clear; LM 5.5; facing NNW 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
ORI: eight: -2; -1; +2(2); +3(2); +4(2)
Taurids: two: -2(2)
Sporadics: four: +3(3); +4
Total meteors: fourteen

09:05 - 10:05 UT 27 deg F; dew pt 24 deg F; wind West 6 mph; clear; LM 5.5; facing NNW 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour
ORI: six: -3; -2; 0; +1(2); +2
Taurids: one: +1
Sporadics: six: +2; +3(5)
Total meteors: thirteen

10:05 - 10:35 UT 26 deg F; dew pt 24 deg F; wind West 6 mph; clear; LM 5.5; facing NNW 50 deg; toal teff 0.5 hour
Leo Minorids: one: -1
Orionids: six: +1; +2(2);3(3)
Sporadics: one: +3
Total meteors: eight (thirty minutes)

Best hour was 09:30 - 10:30 UT with 11 Orionids.

The cloud/weather forecast isn't very good the next two mornings, but I will get up and look out to be sure anyway.  Monday morning forecast is good and there may still be good Orionid activity.