Re: Longitude/time

To: meteorobs@latradedot com
Subject: Re: Longitude/time
From: Mark Davis <MeteorObs@Charlestondot net>
Date: Sun, 19 May 1996 19:12:29 -0400 (EDT)
Date-Warning: Date header was inserted by InfoAvedot net

>I believe it was the 1993 Perseids along the eastern U.S. coast
>that produced some ZHR's that were in the 700's?  I believe sky and telescope
>published some of these high ZHR's shortly afterwards.  It may have not been
>the 1993 Perseids, but I believe it was.  I believe nearly the whole east
>coast was suffering from lousy weather then. Anybody here had clear skies for
>the 1993 Perseids? If so...where were you? 

George you are right in that most of the east coast was clouded out so I
have no idea where Sky & Tel got their figures. I suggest a possible source
are the people I call "Perseid Meteor Observers" who watch only the Persieds
and maybe the Geminids on peak night. Therefore, perhaps all meteors were
Perseids that night, with no sporadics "observed?" 

My observations that year were also affected by clouds. I was observing from
Francis Marion National Forest, 79o 44' 47"W  33o 05' 06"N, elevation 10
meters on the nights of Aug 09/10 and Aug 11/12. On Aug 09/10 I saw 4
Perseids, Teff=1.00, F=1.00. On Aug 11/12, I began at 0100 UT with clear
skies logging 30 Perseids in T=2.00. The next two hours clouds moved in,
dropping F to 1.18 and 1.43 at which time I quit. I haven't done a ZHR
calculation, but feel this doesn't equal 700/hour! :) The rest of the month
was a total wash out. At any rate, I don't report to Sky & Tel or Astronomy
for these very reasons.

Mark