(meteorobs) Perseids in Iowa

[Paul Martsching]

"Mostly clear" doesn't mean good a good sky for observing meteors.  At sun set there was a lot of streaky cloud especially in the West and North and it stayed around all night.  Several times big patches of general haze covering the entire sky moved thru.  With the variable conditions, it is difficult to make magnitude estimates to account for the damage to the observations.  But this seems to be typical here in Iowa, even if it is forecast to be clear and the night actually begins clear, it inevitably gets foggy, hazy or cirrusy the morning of the Perseid peak.  The other years it is overcast or pouring rain.  The only years I have seen the peak of the Perseids under good conditions is when I left Iowa and went somewhere else and that sometimes hasn't worked out either.  

I saw only one Kappa Cygnid.  I am always looking for these.  If the Moon phase is good, I often go out after the Perseid max to watch these - kind of relaxing after the Perseid activity.    

Interesting meteors:  
At 05:38 UT I saw a rose-colored Perseid.  It was mag - 3 and traveled only 2 degrees.  The rose meteor contrasted nicely with the white train that lasted 4 seconds.  
My brightest Perseid was yellow mag -5 with train lasting only 3 seconds, but it ended in the sky glow over eastern Ames - apparently shortening the train duration.
I saw two bright SDA's only two minutes apart - mag -4 with 2 second train and mag -1 with a brief train.  They were much too fast to be Antihelion meteors.  The -4 SDA was almost startling and ended near the south/bottom of Cepheus.   Then I wasn't so surprised when the -1 SDA appeared.

The following is my report.  Because of conditions my counts are very much lower than what others are reporting.  Perhaps of little scientific value, but gives a general idea of what I could see.

McFarland Park 4 miles NE of Ames, Story Co, Iowa, USA
Long: 93 deg 34 min W  Lat: 42 deg 05 min N  Elevation: 318 meters
Visual: pencil, paper & talking clock

12/13 August CDST
13 August 2013 02:55-03:55 UT 66 deg F; dew pt 56 deg F; wind North 5 mph; lot of horizon haze; av LM ~5.3 (dusk & 1/3 lit Moon in SW); facing East 50 deg; teff 1.0 hour.
ANT: one: -1
PER: seven: -1; 0(2); +1(2); +2(2)
Sporadics: three: +1; +3; +4
Total meteors: eleven

03:55-04:55 UT 66 deg F; dew pt 56 deg F; wind N 5 mph; lot of horizon haze; av LM ~5.4; (Moon had set); facing East 50 deg; teff 1.0 hour.
KCG: one: 0
PER: eighteen: -4; -2; +1(2); +2(5); +3(6); +4(3)
Sporadics: two: +3(2)
Total meteors: twenty-one

04:55-05:55 UT 62 deg F; dew pt 57 deg F; wind N 5 mph; lot of horizon haze; av LM ~5.2; facing E 50 deg; 04:55-05:15; facing ENE 50 deg 05:15-05:55 (less haze); teff 1.0 hour.
ANT: two: -2; +3
SDA: one: +3
PER: twenty-one: -3; -1; 0(2); +1(3); +2(4); +3(7); +4(3)
Sporadics: two: +2; +3
Total meteors: twenty-six

06:05-07:05 UT 62 deg F; dew pt 56 deg F; wind W 3 mph; lot of horizon haze; av LM ~5.0; facing ENE 50 deg; teff 1.0 hour.
ANT: one: +2
ATR: one: +3
PER: fourteen: -3; 0(4); +1(3); +2(3); +3(3)
SDA: one: +2
Sporadics: four: +2(2); +3(2)
Total meteors: twenty-one

07:05-08:05 UT 59 deg F; dew pt 56 deg F; wind calm; lot of horizon haze; av LM ~5.2; facing ENE 50 deg 07:05-07:30; facing East 50 deg 07:30-08:05; teff 1.0 hour.
ANT: one: -2
ATR: one: +3
PER: twenty-five: -5; -2; -1; 0(2); +1(10); +2(6); +3(3); +4
SDA: three: -4 -1; +3
Sporadics: two: +1; +3
Total meteors: thirty-two

08:05-09:05 UT 59 deg F; dew pt 55 deg F; wind calm; lot of horizon haze; av LM ~5.1; facing E 50 deg; teff 1.0 hour.
ERI: one: +2
PER: twenty-three: -2; -1; 0(3); +1(4); +2(6); +3(4); +4
SDA: one: +3
Sporadics: four: -2; +2; +3; +4
Total meteors: twenty-nine

09:05-10:05 UT 57 deg F; dew pt 55 deg F; wind W 5 mph; obvious horizon haze up to 15 degrees; so much haze that morning twilight was scarcely noticeable at 10:00 UT; av LM ~5.0; facing E 50 deg; teff 1.0 hour.
PER: twenty-seven: -2; -1(2); 0(2); +1(5); +2(6); +3(10); +4
SDA: one: +1
Sporadics: five: +1; +2; +3(3)
Total meteors: thirty-three

Paul Martsching in Iowa