(meteorobs) May 14/15, 2016 ETA observation from North Florida – not over yet!

Sun May 15 14:27:42 EDT 2016

Hi Paul Z,
    Not a dumb question at all.  When I say "logged on", it's just a fancy
way of saying that I have officially begun meteor observing as opposed to
goofing off, dark-adapting or otherwise observing with binoculars or
telescopes.  Like Bob L., I have used tape recording in the past and
probably will again for the real high-rate showers like the Perseids and
Geminids.
    I agree with Bob, the best method is the one that keeps your eyes on
the sky as much as possible.  Away from the big major showers, I have
settled on an old-fashioned pencil and paper method of recording data when
the action is not as "hot".  I've been doing this so long now, I've adapted
a way that I can manually record pertinent data without taking my eyes off
the sky or as little as possible. This allows me to catch those quick
 follow-on meteors that quite often hit within a few seconds of the first
one.   I'd miss them if I took my eyes off the sky to record data.
   Seeing a meteor that quick after commencing formal observing is very
much a luck of the draw kind of thing, but it amazes me how often it seems
to  happen!  For me, I often have a meteor or two hit quickly in the
session and then have extended lulls during the middle of the session and
then finish strong near the end of it.   Each session is completely unique
unto itself however.    That's what keeps me getting out there...;o).

Clear skies all, Paul J

On Sun, May 15, 2016 at 12:35 PM, Paul Zeller <pzeller1966 at gmail.com> wrote:

>   Hello Paul, and thanks for your interesting reports!
>
>   I have what might be a dumb question, if you get the chance to reply. I
> noticed in your email that you wrote that you barely had time to "log on"
> before seeing your first meteor of the night. Do you have a phone or other
> device that you use to keep track of what you see? I often use a digital
> voice recorder when I go out, then play it back later and jot down the
> information. But I'm not sure if that's the best way to record data, and I
> was curious if you and other more experienced observers have found a more
> convenient way.
>
>   Thanks, and clear skies to you!
>
>   Paul Z
> On May 15, 2016 9:12 AM, "Paul Jones" <jonesp0854 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Greetings again all,
>>
>>   After several nights of clouds, I finally was able to return to the
>> Matanzas Inlet site for a two hour, follow-up look at the ETAs this morning
>> and darned if they aren’t still producing!  In fact, I had a respectable
>> overall total of 38 meteors in the two hour session with 8 ETAs under a
>> glittering, star-filled, pre-dawn sky.  I also caught 3 good candidates
>> for the May beta Capricornid (MBC) radiant.
>>
>> Here are the results:
>>
>> May 14/15, 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
>>
>> 3 ETA: 0, +1, +3
>>
>> 1 MBC_ +2
>>
>> 12 SPO: -1, +1, +2, +3(3), +4(3), +5(2), +6
>>
>> 16 total meteors
>>
>>
>>
>> 0415 – 0515 EDT (0815 – 0915 UT) Teff: 1.0 hour, No breaks, LM: 6.5
>> (twilight), Clear, Facing: East
>>
>> 5 ETA: +2(2), +3(2), +4,
>>
>> 2 MBC: +2, +4
>>
>> 15 SPO: 0, +1(2), +2(2), +3(5), +4(2), +5, +6(2)
>>
>> 22 total meteors
>>
>>
>>
>> 7 0f the 8 ETAs left visible trains, predominate colors were yellow and
>> orange with reddish tints.
>>
>>
>>
>> I had barely logged on and settled back to observe when a lovely +1 SPO
>> shot south out eastern Hercules.  It looked almost like a late eta Lyrid
>> (ELY) but didn’t line up well enough with the migrated radiant that shower
>> would have had this morning, but it was nice anyway!  That meteor set
>> the tone for many more bright and colorful meteors zipping in all
>> directions from horizon to horizon throughout the entire watch!
>>
>>
>>
>> About five minutes after that first meteor, I saw my first MBC candidate,
>> a nice, bluish-white, +2 that shot straight north in eastern Cygnus.  It
>> tracked back perfectly to the projected radiant and although it resembled
>> an ETA, it was way too far west to be one also it was distinctly bluish,
>> which is a color I have yet to see any ETA exhibit.  Of course, most
>> veteran meteor observers will admit that observed color in meteors is very
>> subjective and rarely do any two folks agree on it
>>
>>
>>
>> Two of the ETAs in the first hour hit within about 3 minutes of each
>> other and both were spectacular – earthgrazers both over 30 degrees in path
>> length with long, spreading trains – awesome!!  Not long after, another
>> ETA shot westward so fast that all I saw was the train it left behind
>> sitting on the sky for several seconds!
>>
>> The second hour was busy also as the activity picked up all around the
>> sky and several more nice ETAs were spotted.  Two more candidates for
>> the MBC radiant were seen also, both showing exactly the same
>> characteristics of the first one.  My seeing them left little doubt in
>> my mind that all three were actually members of this recently discovered
>> radiant.  The artificial satellite “parade” continued in earnest also
>> this morning with around 20 to 25 of them spotted altogether!  I must
>> say, they do add additional interest to these pre-dawn meteor watches!
>>
>>
>>
>> Weather permitting there is a brief dark window after moonset in the
>> morning, so I’ll be back at it once again for one more look before closing
>> the chapter on the 2016 ETAs.  It has indeed been a remarkable ride for
>> them this year!
>>
>>
>>
>> Clear skies all, Paul J in north Florida
>>
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