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Re: response to Normans messages


If you are having trouble with thin cirrus clouds...even broken cirrus
clouds, to get a better Average LM, try making 3 LM determinations from
different star count areas. The average of these should put you close to the
ball park for any uneven cloud coverage.  Also, if you have clouds of any
kind moving in on you, turn your view towards the largest open hole that is
not light polluted. 

Norman mentioned that he sees no pure white meteors...On the other hand, I
seldom see yellow meteors and white is the predominant color.  I personally
think trying to give a serious color designation for meteors dimmer than +2
as not being very useful for the most part. Color is just something that I
got into a habit and to leave it out in my recordings can throw me off my
established sequence....kinda like a rhythm.  So far of all the meteors I
recorded, I probably only logged about a dozen or so genuine yellow
meteors...I call these golden colored because they are so pronounced. I see a
few orange/reds, but these usually are for slower meteors. Jeff Woods report
of 30% color for +2 meteors or brighter sounds about normal to me. I may not
agree with his color groupings, but color perception in general I do agree
with. 

As to keeping recorders warm and under the sleeping bag etc...I frequently
use a recorder for major showers in all kinds of temperatures and experienced
no problem from temperatures.  I seldom observe in temperatures over 60 F.
Usually in the local mountains it is in the mid 40's or 50's in the Summer
months and 30's to teens in the Winter. I have yet to take any special
precautions in regards to temperatures. Perhaps Norman needs a new recorder?

Norman reports a 1972 quadrantid being sighted in Deep Twilight....very
exceptional it would seem to me.  Norman are you sure it was a Quadrantid and
not some sporadic that happened to line up? About what hour was that locally?
Where were you?  The Quadrantid shower occurs around Jan 3/4 and at that time
the sun sets for me in S. Calif. around 4:45pm.  I don't know the exact hour
right off hand that the Quadrantid radiant rises, but it should be somewhere
near midnight. It's not likely it was in orbit. If I saw anything at the time
I think you are emplying "deep twilight", (about 5:45 TO 6pm?) I'd log it as
a sporadic if there weren't any other active radiant possible. That's about 6
hours prior to the radiant rises! 
George