(meteorobs) Abbreviated 2015 Orionid max...

[Norman W McLeod III]

On 10/21/2015 10:24 AM, Paul Jones wrote:
> about Space Mountain...;o) for yours truly - your intrepid meteor 
> observer, in trying to see the first night of the three 2015 Orionid 
> maximum nights.

Only three?  In my active times I found the Orionid maximum lasting for 
five nights.  Just as strong on the morning of October 25 as October 
21.  On October 26 it would be cut in half.

My last attempt at meteor observing was 3 years ago.  I went out east of 
town to somebody's semi dark-sky house location for the 2012 Orionids.  
A decent sky with LM 6.5.  I still saw the brightest Messier open 
clusters as resolved naked-eye.  The session October 21 was to cover 3 
hours before dawn.  But I had to wait half an hour before seeing the 
first meteor!  The date was a memorable night in numerous prior years, 
so it was disconcerting to see almost nothing.  I quit after an hour and 
a half with only 12 meteors, mostly Orionids and absent all of the faint 
ones.  That night confirmed that my perception for meteors is largely 
gone.  So it is no longer worthwhile for me to pursue meteor observing.

The first hint of a problem came for the 2012 Perseids from the same 
location.  In just over an hour starting around 2 A.M. I saw only 9 
Perseids, and almost nothing fainter than magnitude 2.  So I quit 
earlier than planned that night also.

Speaking of faint meteors, I found the Delta Aquarids to be tied with 
the Orionids for the rank of faintest shower.  Around 20 years ago I 
received a call from the local newspaper.  Somebody got wind of a meteor 
shower due at the end of July, so he wanted to stump up a story about 
the usual fiery show of meteors but at an unusual time.  I recommended 
that he cancel any such story.  People in town would be lucky to see 
anything at all.

Norman

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