(meteorobs) July 27/28 2016 observations from North Florida - Tale of two sessions

[Paul Jones]

Greetings yet again all,
   Our ongoing nighttime cloud pattern issues continue in earnest here
locally as I was chased around between two observing sites last night/this
morning trying to get away from the pesky, persistent cirrus cloud
invasion.  Somehow through it all, I managed two good hours of meteor data
and even met up with fellow ACACer Jeff Corder down at Matanzas Inlet for a
near all-night marathon!

    I started in at Butler Beach just before midnight and managed a cloud
challenged hour observing there, before packing it up and travelling the
ten or so miles down to Matanzas Inlet in search of clearer skies for a
second hour crossing moonrise.  The difference in my results from the two
sites is as dramatic as night and day!  To wit:

Here's my data:


CAP - alpha Capricornids
JPE - July Pegasids
ANT - Anthelions
PER - Perseids
SDA: South delta Aquariids
PAU - Piscids Austrinids
GDR - July gamma Draconids
BPE - beta Perseids

Session One:
July 27/28 2016, observer: Paul Jones, Location: Butler Beach, Florida
(about three miles south of St. Augustine, Beach, Florida), Lat: 29.79 N,
Long: 81.26 W., LM: 6.2, 25% cloud interference, Facing: east

0000 - 0100 EDT (0400 - 0500 UT), Teff: 1.0 hour, No breaks
2 ANT: +3, +4
1 PAU: +3
1 CAP: +4
2 SDA: +3(2)
1 GDR: +2
 5 SPO: +3(2). +4, +5(2)
12 total meteors

2 of the 12 meteors (the GDR, and a SDA) left trains. No meteor colors were
seen.


Session Two:

July 27/28, 2016 Observer: Paul Jones, Location: North Bank of Matanzas
Inlet, Florida, Lat: 29.75N, Log: 81.24W (approximately 18 miles south of
St. Augustine, Florida).



0137 – 0237 EDT (0537 – 0637 UT) Teff: 1.0 hour, No breaks, LM: 6.9, Clear,
except for some very slight haze near the horizons


15 SDA: 0, +1(2) +2(3), +3(5), +4(3), +5

6 PER: 0(2), +1(2). +2, +3

4 CAP: -2, 0, +2, +4

7 SPO: +2, +3, +4(3), +5(2)

32 total meteors


14 of the 32 meteors left trains (all the PERs did and most of the brighter
SDAs and CAPs did as well), a couple of the PERs were bluish and a couple
were yellowish, as were the two bright CAPs.  One PER train hung on the sky
for over four seconds.


As you can see from the data, I saw almost three times the number of
meteors in the hour at Matanzas Inlet than I did in the hour from Butler
Beach!  Aside from slightly fewer clouds, the much darker Limiting
Magnitude at Matanzas was the main reason.   It was an amazing verification
that darker skies make a world of difference, and only ten miles apart!


The SDAs were popping everywhere down at Matanzas, I had two about five
seconds apart at the start of the hour and a case of two simultaneous SDAs
later on!  The zero mag SDA was a gorgeous vivid yellow with a nice train.


I saw the 0 mag CAP and then the -2 CAP along the SW horizon about five
minutes apart.  Both were bright yellow and left nice trains.  The PERs
really picked up nicely, shooting swift darts out in all directions and
almost every one I saw was bright and left a train.  LOVE those PERs, we
are in for one great show from them next month!!!


A little after 3:00 a.m., Jeff showed up and we enjoyed a nice long visit
yakking about every topic in amateur astronomy and meteorology wee could
think of while Jeff worked on is very interesting telescopic asterism-
naming project.  The clouds began to take over again after 4:00 a.m., so I
bade Jeff adieu out of exhaustion, but we will be out there again
tonight for sure!

Clear skies and more later, Paul J in North Florida
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