(meteorobs) obs 09/10 Nov 2013

[Paul Martsching]

09/10 November 2013 11:45 pm - 05:00 am CST (15 minute break 02:45-03:00 CST)
10 Nov 2013 05:45-11:00 UT (break 08:45-09:00 UT)

It was colder but less windy than the previous night.  The brightest Taurid was a mag. - 4 NTA.

McFarland Park 4 miles NE of Ames, Story Co, Iowa, USA

Shower meteors watched for and number by hour (15 min break between 3rd & 4th hour)
AND:	0-0-0-0-0
LEO:	1-3-1-3-2
ORI:	0-1-0-2-0
NTA:	1-1-2-2-2
STA:	3-1-0-0-1

10 Nov 2013 05:45-06:45 UT 36 deg F; dew pt 28 deg F; wind NW 12 mph; clear; aver LM 5.7; facing East 50 degrees; teff 1.0 hour.
LEO: one: 0
NTA: one: - 1
STA: three: +1(2); +2
Sporadics: three: +1; +3(2)
Total meteors: eight

10 Nov 2013 06:45-07:45 UT 33 deg F; dew pt 27 deg F; wind NW 9 mph; clear; aver LM 5.7; facing East 50 degrees; teff 1.0 hour.
LEO: three: +1; +2(2)
ORI: one: +1
NTA: one: +1
STA: one: +1
Sporadics: three: - 1; +3; +4
Total meteors: nine

10 Nov 2013 07:45-08:45 UT 33 deg F; dew pt 26 deg F; wind NW 10 mph; clear; aver LM 5.6; facing East 50 degrees; teff 1.0 hour.
LEO: one: +4
NTA: two: +1; +3
Sporadics: two: 0; +1
Total meteors: five

Break 08:45-09:00 UT

10 Nov 2013 09:00-10:00 UT 30 deg F; dew pt 25 deg F; wind NW 7 mph; clear; aver LM 5.7; facing East 50 degrees; teff 1.0 hour.
LEO: three: - 2; +2; +3
ORI: two: +2(2)
NTA: two: - 4; +2
Sporadics: five: 0; +2; +3(2); +4
Total meteors: twelve

10 Nov 2013 10:00-11:00 UT 28 deg F; dew pt 23 deg F; wind NW 7 mph; clear; aver LM 5.7; facing East 50 degrees; teff 1.0 hour.
LEO: two: 0; +2
NTA: two: +2; +3
STA: one: 0
Sporadics: eleven: - 1(2); +1(2); +2; +3(4); +4(2)
Total meteors: sixteen

Looked at two comets before packing up to leave.  Comet Lovejoy easy to find in binoculars and possibly naked-eye in darker sky(?).  Comet ISON much fainter than Comet Lovejoy and involved in zodiacal light.  I would think that the Comet Austin and Comet Kohoutek fiascos would cause astronomers to curb their enthusiasm a little whenever a comet is discovered that is unusually bright far from the Sun.  If Comet ISON performs only modestly (say mag. +3 in a dark sky) the public will think they have been duped.  Comet Kohoutek performed modestly, but the hype was so extreme that the public was very disappointed.   Comet Austin was supposed to become very bright, but instead was a severe disappointment - possibly as bright as mag. +4 and maybe 1 1/2 degrees of naked-eye tail in the evening sky.  A group from the local astronomy club had gone out the the old Iowa State University observatory to see Comet Austin at its "best".