(meteorobs) Perseid

[Bruce McCurdy]

Home writing tonight, but since seeing clearing skies I kept stepping
outside for 5 or 10 minutes, hoping to catch a stray Perseid. Fighting a
third quarter moon that has been rising in lock step with the radiant, and
the omnipresent light pollution that has reduced my home skies to not much
better than 4th magnitude even on a transparent night, which this isn't.
Still, even from the city I usually catch the odd meteor this close to the
Perseid max, but tonight the sky wasn't giving up her dead. 

 

Finally, just as I was about to give up on a fourth "session", a gorgeous
meteor streaked directly through my direct vision, just below the
Polaris-to-Kochab line, with a path just about that long, maybe 12 degrees.
Not a fireball, but about Jupiter brightness with a similar off-white
colour. Came at Perseid-speed and left a nice train that lasted a second or
so, betraying the radiant. On a proper observing night it would simply be
"one of the better ones", but on this night, constrained to this desk and to
this city, it was a gift. 

 

If the weather permits, I'll get two proper sessions this weekend, as a few
of us RASCals are hosting an observing event at Devonian Botanic Gardens on
Friday, while Saturday/Sunday is a BHDSP night (unless the forecast pushes
me in another direction). Moon should be nice and close to Jupiter by then.
As an aficionado of conjunctions as well as meteors I shall be torn between
wanting to look at our lovely Moon and away from the darned thing! A nice
bonus for what will be, barring the dreaded double-skunk, my 25th
consecutive Perseid maximum. 

 

Bruce

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