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(meteorobs) OLD FWD: Ken Poshedly on Perseid Meteor Shower
I spotted this in an old ASTRO list message from last week: Our very own Mark
Davis and Bob Lunsford in the limelight! Enjoy,
Lew
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From: Ken Poshedly <102745.313@compuservedot com>
Date: 13 Sep 96 20:59:53 EDT
Subject: Perseid Meteor Shower
From: Ken Poshedly
102745.313@compuservedot com
EARLIER BEGINNING TO THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER?
With the Perseid meteor shower now a month behind us, observation reports
submitted to the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) by early
September seem to suggest that the annual meteor shower may become active
earlier than published dates indicate.
The Perseids, caused by remnants of material from Comet Swift-Tuttle, are
normally thought to be active from July 17 through August 24. Yet, early
Perseids were first seen on the morning of July 14 and were also observed the
following two mornings," according to Mark Davis, assistant recorder of the ALPO
meteors section. More observations are required to confirm this possibility.
The main focus was during August, with 12 mornings being covered by ALPO
observers. A total of 116.30 hours of observations were submitted by ALPO
members. The total number of meteors sighted was 2,855, with 1,559 of these
being recorded as Perseids. A total of 23.70 hours of planned observing was
carried out by a half-dozen individuals who noted 580 Perseids.
In total, rates were normal (about 40 per hours) until 00:40 UT August 12. At
that time, Perseid rates began to rise and peaked at the 1:00 UT predicted time
when visual rates reached 80 to 100 meteors per hour. Rates declined after 1:00
UT and were back to normal by 1:30 UT.
The highest rates recorded by an ALPO member were 53 Perseids seen by ALPO
meteors section recorder Robert Lunsford in California. This occurred between
11:00 and 12:00 UT August 11.
The predicted maximum was to occur at 1:00 UT August 12, a time best suited for
European observers. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate for many
observers there. Observers in Russia and the British Isles were completely
clouded out , as was most of the eastern coast of the United States.
Several members of the Dutch Meteor Society drove eastward 400 miles, but could
not escape the blanket of clouds, reports Lunsford. But DMS members who stayed
home in the Netherlands were treated to unexpectedly clear skies. Observers in
Poland, northeast Germany and Hungary also enjoyed clear skies and were able to
witness the burst of activity.
According to Lunsford, Some observers in southern Florida managed to find clear
skies, but the radiant was too low in the sky at the time of the predicted
maximum for observers to see any enhancement." Observers in the western United
States and Midwest had better weather, but rates averaged only 1/2 of what was
seen in Europe.
-end-