(meteorobs) Fwd: Post maximum 2016 Orionid observations from North Florida - splendid!

[Paul Jones]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Paul Jones <jonesp0854 at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Oct 25, 2016 at 8:12 PM
Subject: Post maximum 2016 Orionid observations from North Florida -
splendid!
To: Paul Jones <jonesp0854 at gmail.com>


Greetings again all,
     I was able to get out again yesterday morning for two more very
productive pre-dawn hours, checking out the post maximum activity of the
Orionids.  This time, I was back on the trusty "meteor roof" of my home on
Crazy Horse Trail.  I figured with the moon still depressing the morning
skies, there was no real reason to travel to a darker sky spot and I was
pleasantly surprised at how well I was able to do from the roof, a mere
thirty feet from my bedroom!

    All told in the two hours (4:00 - 6:00 a.m.), I had a total of 64
meteors, with hourly Orionid counts of 14 and 26.  I was lucky to catch a
"mini-spurt" of Orionids in the second hour that almost doubled the count!
The Orionids are great at having these mini-spurts in their activity levels
and I've seen it several times from them in recent years.   No other meteor
shower does it quite like the Orionids do!

Here's my data:

Observed for radiants:

ORI: Orionids
AND: Andromedids
STA: Southern Taurids
EGE: epsilon Geminids
LMI: Leonis Minorids
SPO: sporadics

Observer: Paul Jones, Location:  5 miles southwest of St. Augustine,
Florida, Lat: 29.84 N, Long:81.32W, LM: 5.8, sky conditions: 25% moonlight
degradation, Facing: south.

0400 - 0500 EDT (0800 - 0900 UT), Teff: 1.0 hour, no breaks
14 ORI: +1, +2(2), +3(6), +4(5)
1 STA: +3
1 EGE: +1
7 SPO: +1 +2, +3(3), +4(2)
23 total meteors

6 of the 14 ORIs left visible trains, most common colors were bluish white
and yellow in the brighter ones.


0500 - 0600 EDT (0900 - 1000 UT), Teff: 1.0 hour, no breaks
26 ORI: -1, +1, +2(4), +3(11), +4(7), +5(2)
2 STA: +2, +3
2 EGE: +2, +4
1 LMI: +3
10 SPO: 0, +1, +2(2), +3(4), +5(2)
41 total meteors

11 of the 26 Orionids left visible trains and once again the most observed
colors were bluish white and yellow.

     For several reasons, the Orionids are my favorite of the annual major
 meteor shower to observe and have been since the 1970s. First of all, they
are pieces of arguably the most famous comet in the history of astronomy -
Halley's Comet!  Second, they are by far the most challenging of the major
showers to observe successfully due to the faintness of their meteors and
the wee hours in which they finally "switch on" their activity level.

    But mostly, it is because they usually occur right about the time when
we get that first cool snap of the fall season that brings in chilly,
crisp and very clear nights with the winter constellations blazing away in
all their glory in the pre-dawn and a sky full of faint and short Orionids
glittering like sparkling little diamonds against the jet black skies.  I
look forward to the Orionids all year, and in 2017 they hit at New Moon -
YAY!!

Clear skies all, Paul
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