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(meteorobs) Re:Oct 23/24 meteors + more
I did get one final night for Orionids: Oct 23/24 with one hour dark. My
regular site was getting foggy so I backtracked 3 miles and found a spot
almost free of fog. 502 EDT (902 UT) I began with the moon setting and sky
6.0, improving rapidly. By 526 it was 7.2. But very few meteors to start :
at 536 I saw only the 4th meteor. Then it got better. Finished the good
hour with 17 Orionids, 3 South Taurids, and 2 sporadics. Mostly faint ones;
the last one seen before quitting was a yellow -1.
A heat wave has settled in since then, 90-92 degrees every day for a high.
Getting tired of it, but relief is coming by Sunday night--back to the 50's
at night. Been great for visitors who are numerous for so early because of
the cold weather up North. It's been mostly clear the entire time but
wasted by the moon. Would like to see this pattern for the Geminids.
Before Oct 20 the U.S. was largely clear, except for peninsular Florida.
Then it totally reversed, just in time to benefit me. Did anyone in Europe
see any Orionids? I hope so. Haven't heard a word from anyone there, nor
from anywhere else..
On meteor durations, these became second-nature to me in due time. I can
tell a duration just by how it looks. Like anything else, it comes with
practice. When I started observing, recording durations was completely
logical along with distances. From Rainer's discussion of durations from
video, my short ones are right on the nostril (mostly 0.2s to 0.3s).
Thinking about the length of one second goes on constantly in the
subconscious. I don't see why durations should have to be so complicated.
Recording deg/sec in the field is something I would never have thought of
doing, since I already had the components mastered separately. Doesn't that
take more effort? If a meteor is anything besides 1 second, you have to do
some mental computing.
I stopped recording this data in 1976 but haven't forgotten how to do it.
It's part of my mental makeup. Plotting is the same way, did some in Sept
for the first time in 15 years and felt like I had never quit.
A very good Leonid article in Nov S & T. Peeking into the future, looks
like they won't be around for too much longer. Future observers will need a
replacement.
Norman