(meteorobs) Perseids Aug 11 from San Diego County

[Robert Lunsford]

I was out from 1:41-5:00 PDT this morning, viewing the Perseids from the Laguna Mountains east of San Diego. The sky was mostly clear except for a few scattered altocumulus early in the session which were easily avoided. The moon was up during the entire session but did not clear the hill in the east until 2:25. The limiting magnitude ranged from 6.1 in the beginning and lowered to 5.9 as the moon rose higher in the sky. I was facing NNW about 45 degrees up. The temperature was a balmy 76F but winds made it feel a bit cooler. The humidity was in the low 40's, dry enough to cause sparks when I moved the covers.

As for the meteor activity, I counted 53 meteors during this period, 35 of them were Perseids. Hourly rates for the Perseids were 9, 11, and 15. I did not expect strong rates but this was still less than expected. I also saw two faint Kappa Cygnids. There were very few faint meteors. Most of them were magnitude +1 and +2. Only two Perseids were negative magnitudes, a -1 and a -4. The brightest Perseid was a lucky catch as something made me look toward the moon, which was normally out of my field of view. Just as I turned my head the bright Perseid shot directly toward the moon and flared several times before disappearing. The resulting train lasted 15 seconds.

The weather forecast appears favorable for the maximum so plan to be out again. 

Clear Skies!

Robert Lunsford