(meteorobs) Perseids 14 August

[Paul Martsching]

I went out last night thinking that I might not see any Perseid fireballs (mag. - 4 or brighter), since I didn't see any the night before.  I saw a three: a - 6 yellow with train duration of 8 seconds in the bright Moon light and two of mag. - 4 both orange, one of which had a train lasting 5 seconds.  The best Perseid hour was 0830-0930 UT when I saw seventeen.  Kappa Cygnids were very sparse, but the best was white, got up to mag - 5 then popped/flashed to at least mag - 6 at the end.  

No ATR's.  One probable ERI.  No apparent ANT's or SDA's.  

Jet traffic (mainly East - West) picked up a little after 3 am CDST, but really increased after 4 am CDST.  Atmospheric conditions made for long-enduring, spreading jet contrails, slowly drifting North to South, which became an increasing problem after 4 am CDST.  Somewhat more horizon haze than previous night, but not bad till spreading jet contrails became a problem.

McFarland Park parking lot 4 miles NE of Ames, Iowa.
Long: 93 deg 34 min W
Lat: 42 deg 05 min N
Elevation: 1,030 feet
Paper, pencil, talking clock and black umbrella

14 August 2014 0530 - 0630 UT 61 deg F; dew pt 59 deg F; wind W 5 mph; clear; waning gibbous Moon; LM 5.5; facing NNW 50 deg (slightly darker sky); teff 1.0 hour.
KCG: one: +2
PER: six: 0(2); +2(2); +3(2)
Sporadics: two: +1; +3
Total meteors: nine

14 August 2014 0630 - 0730 UT 60 deg F; dew pt 58 deg F; clear; waning gibbous Moon; LM 5.4; facing N 50 deg; teff 1.0 hour.
KCG: none
PER: eight: - 6; - 4; - 1(2);+1; +2; +3(2)
Sporadics: two +2; +3
Total meteors: ten

14 August 2014 0730-0830 UT 58 deg F; dew pt 57 deg F; calm; clear; waning gibbous Moon; LM 5.4; teff 1.0 hour.
ERI: one: 0 (probably; entered FOV from SE; ended 15 deg E of Vega; fast; train)
KCG: one: - 6 (mag. - 5, then popped/flashed to at least - 6 at end)
PER: eight: - 4; 0(2); +1; +2(2); +3(2)
Sporadics: four: - 2; +2; +3(2)
Total meteors: fourteen

14 August 2014 0830 - 0930 UT 57 deg F; dew pt 56 deg F; wind SW 3 mph; clear; some spreading jet contrails (East-West) drifting thru North to South; LM 5.3; facing N 50 deg; teff 1.0 hour.
KCG: two: 0(2)
PER: seventeen: - 1; 0; +1(4); +2(3); +3(6); +4(2)
Sporadics: three: +3(3)
Total meteors: twenty-two

14 August 2014 0930 - 1000 UT 57 deg F; dew pt 55 deg F; calm; "fair"; increasing number of spreading jet contrails (E-W) moving thru N to S; LM 5.0; facing N 50 deg; teff 0.5 hour.
KCG: none
PER: eight: - 3; - 2; +1; +2(2); +3(3)
Sporadics: one: +3
Total meteors: nine (30 minutes)

It appears that the peak of the Perseids occurred while it was still day light over North America.  

Paul Martsching in Iowa