(meteorobs) May 7/8 2016 ETA observation from North Florida - off the charts!!

[Paul Jones]

Greetings again all,

  I didn’t quite know what to expect from the ETAs this morning as I have
never watched them this late in their maximum plateau before.  What I saw
from them though totally blew me away!   For the third night in a row, I
made the 18 minute drive from my house down to the dark, clear 360 degree
skies at Matanzas Inlet and ended up considering it one of the best drives
I’ve made in a long time…;o).  Some lost sleep was a small, insignificant
price to pay for what I was about to see.

I signed on at 0315 EDT and saw my first ETA at 0325 – a nice +2 with a
train.  After about a long twenty minute lull that had me a bit worried,
the veritable ETA floodgate opened and from that point on until dawn, they
proceeded to just about knock me out of my chaise lounge!!

Here’s my data:

May 7/8, 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).



0315 – 0415 EDT (0715 – 0815 UT) Teff: 1.0 hour, No breaks, LM: 6.9, Clear,
Facing: East

9 ETA: -3, -2, 0, +2, +3(2), +4(2), +5

3 ELY: +1, 3(2)

1 GAQ: +2

10 SPO: +1, +3(2), +4(4), +5(2), +6

23 total meteors



0415 – 0515 EDT (0815 – 0915 UT) Teff: 1.0 hour, No breaks, LM: 6.3
(twilight), Clear, Facing: East

24 ETA: 0, +1(3), +2(5), +3(7), +4(5), +5(2). +6

 5 ELY +1, +2, +3(2), +4

14 SPO: 0, +1, +2(2), +3(5), +4(2), +5(2), +6

43 total meteors



22 of the 33 ETAs left visible trains, predominate colors were yellow and
orange with reddish tints.



The second ETA of the first hour this morning was the one that really
opened up the “deluge”.  It was a stunning -2 almost point meteor going
north almost on top of the radiant about ten degrees above the eastern
horizon! It was no more than two or three degrees in path length.  About
five minutes later, the reddish -3 ETA streaked also northward, about
fifteen degrees long, leaving a long lasting and flaring train that hung on
the sky for about eight seconds!  WOW, was I ever pumped then!  A few more
“normal” ETAs rounded out the first hour and from there, I didn’t know what
the second hour might bring…



The ETA activity then proceeded into high gear, big time and they were
flashing and popping all over the sky from horizon to horizon for the rest
of the hour!  At one point, I had four ETAs all hit within about twenty
seconds of each other and about a minute later, a fifth one rounded out the
amazing mini-burst.  No other minus magnitude ETAs were seen during this
second hour, but I did see another one: a -2, flash through twilight in the
northern sky from my car on the drive home.



In addition to the ETAs, the ELYs flashed up with some nice activity as
well.    And the sporadic rate was busy under the once again spectacular
clear and dark skies of the Matanzas Inlet site.  I hardly had a chance
whatsoever to get fatigued or drowsy during the watch with all that
activity going on!  Oh, and there was also another occurrence of two
simultaneous meteors during that second hour:  one a sporadic, the other an
ETA, perfectly coincided one another about twenty degrees apart and going
in the same direction.



I am pleased to see our Canadian and European comrades confirming the
amazing ETA activity this year as well.  Seems the Force is with all of us
this time around!  Keep up the great work, Koen and Pierre!  The ETAs show
no sign of slacking off at all yet, so I plan to give it yet another go in
the morning as the sky here in North Florida continues to be a wonderfully
dark shade of blue…;o).  When the “getting” is this good, you just gotta go
with, man…;o). And, a Mercury Transit on top of it all??  Does it get any
better than this...;o)??



More later, clear skies all, Paul
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