(meteorobs) Quadrantids in Iowa

pmartsching at mchsi.com pmartsching at mchsi.com
Thu Jan 5 15:05:38 EST 2012


I went out a couple hours before Moon set knowing from previous experience that rates would be low because of the low radiant as well as Moon light.  The temperature was rather nice, but the wind increased thruout the session.  I was comfortable except for my hands.  I can't wear very heavy gloves and still be able to read my writing later.  My best Quad hour was 10:40-11:40 UT with thirty-one with average LM of 5.5.

Trouble with seemingly ever-present very thin jet contrail cirrus.  Lately whenever it has been clear (or should have been clear) the very thin jet contrail cirrus is apparent during all daylight hours too.  Central Iowa is under the flight path from Chicago to Omaha and Denver, so there are plenty of jet contrails to produce cirrus.  

I would very much like to see this shower peak about 5 am local time with a clear sky and not too cold or windy.  I'm not sure this will ever happen in my lifetime.

My usual observing site at McFarland Park 4 miles NE of Ames, Story County, Iowa

04 Jan UT (night of 03/04 January) 2012:

07:30-08:30 UT 32 deg F; dew pt 24 deg F; wind NW 8 mph; apparently clear; waxing gibbous Moon in West; LM ~5.0; facing NE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
Quadrantids: nine: -4; -1(2); +2(2); +3; +4(3)
Sporadics: none
Total meteors: nine

08:30-09:30 UT 33 deg F; dew pt 25 deg F; wind NW 13 mph; "clear"; waxing gibbous Moon low in West; LM ~5.3; facing NE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
Antihelion: one: +1
Quadrantids: eighteen: -3; -2(2); 0(2); +1; +2(2); +3(5); +4(5)
Sporadics: two: +1; +3
Total meteors: twenty-one

Moon set ~09:30 UT (~03:30 CST)

09:30-10:30 UT 32 deg F; dew pt 25 deg F; wind NW 12 mph; "clear"; LM 5.7; facing NE 50 deg; teff 1.0 hour.
DLE: one: +2
QUA: twenty-three: -2; -1; 0(2); +1(4); +2(3); +3(9); +4(3)
Sporadics: two: +3(2)
Total meteors: twenty-six

Break 10:30-10:40 UT

10:40-11:40 UT 32 deg F; dew pt 26 deg F; wind 13 mph, gusting to 25 mph; LM 5.5; very thin cirrus more obvious than previously during the session; facing NE 50 deg; total teff 1.0 hour.
DLE: one: +3
QUA: thirty-one: -6; -3;(2); -2(2); -1(2); 0(5); +1(4); +2(4); +3(9); +4(2)
Sporadics: six: -1; +1(2); +3(3)
Total meteors: thirty-eight

11:40-12:25 UT 32 deg F; dew pt 27 deg F; wind NW 20 mph, gusting to 28 mph; LM ~5.4; thin cirrus; morning twilight in East during last few minutes; facing NE 50 deg; total teff 0.75 hour (45 minutes)
DLE: one: -3 orange with brief train
QUA: twenty-one: -1(2); 0(3); +1(5); +2(3); +3(6); +4(2)
Sporadics: one: +4
Total meteors: twenty-three (45 minutes)

There seemed to be a lot of faint meteors.  Because of this I would think with better LM many more faint Quads might have been seen.

The best Quad was mag -6 blue-white with train lasting 2 seconds.  The mag -4 Quad was orange with train lasting 1 second.  Many brighter than 0 mag were yellow, with several orange.  Some of the brighter Quads had brief trains.  

Paul Martsching


 



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