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(meteorobs) Oct. 22 Meteor Observations
-- [ From: Robert Lunsford * EMC.Ver #2.5.1 ] --
Despite high wind warnings Joseph Assmus and I opted to observe from
George Zay's observatory site. While driving up to the site it was often
difficult to stay in one lane due to the high winds. You could see dust
and debris flying through the air in the oncoming headlights of other
cars. At this point I thought we had made a mistake. Upon arriving at
the observatory the winds were not as bad as anticipated. We went ahead
and set up on top of the observatory roof hoping a large gust of wind
would not come up and blow us off. It was interesting to note that
during times of calm you could hear the wind blowing down the
mountainside and through the trees before it actually reached us. This
would give us a few seconds warning before the actual gust hit us
allowing us to hold on to items that might be blown away. Throughout the
4 hour meteor watch we only lost a couple of charts (which Joe retrieved
) and almost had my portable thermometer/hydrometer blow off the top.
The forecast was for gusts as high as 40mph but we estimated the top
gusts near 25, but it was constant all night. The temperature was in the
high 40's and the humidity was an amazing 6% at dawn. The static
electricity was popping and sparking every time I moved my blanket. As
the moon set near 2:30am it was apparent that a brushfire was in
progress to the southwest. We could see an orange glow along the horizon
plus a line of smoke gathering along the western horizon. We thought it
was some 5-10 miles distant but as we drove back to the city it became
apparent that the fire was near the Mexican border some 40 miles distant
from the observatory. It was actually located at the east end of Chula
Vista only 10 miles from my house. When I arrived home the entire sky
was covered with smoke. The eastern and southern quadrants were very
dark with smoke even after sunrise. Everybody was driving to work with
their headlights on. As I write this at 6pm the fire is still burning
but the smoke is limited to a strip 20 degrees high along the southern
horizon.
As for the meteor display, I counted a total of 142 meteors during the 4
hour watch. The Orionids were consistent the entire session. The
Orionids were noticeably brighter tonight with several in the negative
magnitude range. The brightest meteor of the night was a GREEN (sorry
you missed it Ron) -3 Orionid. This meteor had a 40 second train which
twisted and became somewhat "S" shaped as it faded. A 40 second train is
quite long for a meteor of -3. Usually it needs to be at least -5 or -6
to produce a train this long lasting.
At least 4 swift and trained meteors were seen coming from somewhere in
northern Leo which could be related to the Leo Minorids listed by the
DMS.
08:45-09:45 UT 0.99 6.28 1 EGE 17 ORI 1 STA 6 SPO
09:45-10:45 UT 0.99 6.39 1 EGE 1 NTA 29 ORI 1 STA 9 SPO
10:45-11:45 UT 0.99 6.35 1 EGE 1 NTA 22 ORI 2 STA 6 SPO
11:45-12:45 UT 0.99 6.30 1 EGE 28 ORI 2 STA 12 SPO
F was 1.00 the entire night. TeFF was reduced due to plotting. A
cassette recorder was used for recording data. I was facing south at an
altitude of 70 degrees the entire night.
Beginning Temperature/Relative Humidity: 47 F (8 C) 8%
Ending Temperature/Relative Humidity: 46 F (8 C) 6%
Bob Lunsford