(meteorobs) Orion Data from the Mojave Desert October 21, 2011

[Robert Lunsford]

This was the first of three nights that Robin Gray and I observed from the Mojave Desert. I had planned to start at 0200 local time but I wanted to take advantage of the superior seeing conditions and take some video recordings of Jupiter, which was high in the sky at the time. The 36% illuminated moon had already cleared the horizon so this session was held in moonlight the entire three hours. I was viewing through the telescope wearing only a t-shirt and shorts but had to take a short break between hours 1 and 2 to get into something warmer. Even with the moon, the sky was excellent with the Milky Way stretching all the way down into Puppis.The sky was very transparent and the seeing extraordinary with even Sirius barely twinkling. The ruddy stars such as Betelgeuse and Aldebaran seemed especially colorful this morning. Even dimmer stars such as Kochab and Alphard were also obviously ruddy. The 11 Orionids seen during the first hour were a bit disappointing. We were hoping for more as the morning progressed but it was not to be. Orionid rates fell during the final two hours with only 8 and 5 being recorded. A total of 24 were seen during the three hour watch. It would be easy to blame the moon for the reduction in activity but this display was weak beyond the effect of the moon. This was certainly not the night of maximum activity for the Orionids. All the minor showers and sporadic meteor also presented low rates, indicating that the waning crescent moon still had a strong effect on activity. We had some good views of Mars through my C9.25in telescope before catching a nap.    
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Observer: Robert Lunsford (LUNRO)
Date: 11-Oct 21 Mean Solar Long: 207.514
Beginning Time (UT) 0917 Ending Time (UT) 1227
Total TeFF: 3.00

LOCATION: Field Road, CA, USA
LONG: 116 33' 17" W LAT: 35 02' 04" N
Elevation: 630 m Bortle Scale: Class 3: Rural Sky
Beginning Temperature/Relative Humidity: 58F-40%
Ending Temperature/Relative Humidity: 48F-54%
METHOD: Visual Recording on Tape
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Showers Observed
LMI 10:36 (159) +37 01-00-00 01 Total
NTA 02:40 (040)+19 00-00-01 01 Total
ORI 06:20 (095) +16 11-08-05 24 Total
STA 02:44 (041) +11 01-01-01 03 Total
SPO 03-02-04 09 Total
Hourly Counts 16-11-11 38 Total
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Period 1 0917-1017 UT
F = 1.00 (0% Clouds) Mean LM 6.42
FOV 035 +10 TOTAL TeFF: 1.00
Mean Solar Long: 207.471

Meteor Data:
EGE 0, LMI 1, NTA 0, ORI 11, STA 1,  SPO 3 TOTAL 16

Magnitude Distribution
LMI  -1 (1)  Mean -1.00
ORI  -1 (2) 0 (2) +1 (0) +2 (4) +3 (1) +4 (2) Mean +1.55
STA  +4 (1) Mean +4.00
SPO +1 (1) +3 (1) +4 (1) Mean + 2.67
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Period 2 1027-1127 UT
F = 1.00 (0% Clouds) Mean LM 6.29
FOV 050 +10 TOTAL TeFF: 1.00
Mean Solar Long: 207.516

Meteor Data:
EGE 0, LMI 0, NTA 0, ORI 8, STA 1,  SPO 2 TOTAL 11

Magnitude Distribution
ORI  -1 (1) 0 (0) +1 (2) +2 (3) +3 (1) +4 (1) Mean +1.75
STA  +3 (1) Mean +3.00
SPO +3 (1) +4 (1) Mean + 3.50
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Period 3 1127-1227 UT
F = 1.00 (0% Clouds) Mean LM 6.16
FOV 065 +10 TOTAL TeFF: 1.00
Mean Solar Long: 207.558

Meteor Data:
EGE 0, LMI 0, NTA 1, ORI 5, STA 1,  SPO 4 TOTAL 11

Magnitude Distribution
NTA   0 (1)  Mean 0.00
ORI  -1 (1) 0 (0) +1 (0) +2 (0) +3 (3) +4 (0) +5 (1) Mean +2.60
STA  +3 (1) Mean +3.00
SPO +2 (1) +3 (1) +4 (2) Mean + 3.25
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Total Magnitude Distribution
LMI  -1 (1)  Mean -1.00
ORI  -1 (4) 0 (2) +1 (4) +2 (7) +3 (5) +4 (3) +5 (1)  Mean +1.92
STA  +3 (2) +4 (1)  Mean +3.33
SPO +1 (1) +2 (1) +3 (3) +4 (4)  Mean +3.11