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(meteorobs) Nov 16/17 Meteor Summary



Beginning at 0300 UT (2200 EST), with the moon in the southwest, and
perfectly clear skies, I observed a total of 11 meteors over the next hour
(STA-1; SPO-10). From 0400-0500 UT, with the moon having already set, I
logged 10 more meteors, 2 being NTAs and 8 sporadics. During the last 15
minutes of this period, clouds appeared low on the horizon to the south. By
the start of my third hour at 0500, they had already begun to encroach into
my FOV. With cloud cover ranging between 20% and 80% during this last hour,
I was still able to record 12 meteors (STA-2; SPO-10). But then my Leonid
maximum watch was over. For the next 4.5 hours, clouds covered 90 to 100
percent of the sky. Sometimes zero and first magnitude stars would shine
through, but all possible observing was over. Throughout the night I would
occasionally see meteors streak across the sky behind the clouds, and twice,
the clouds lit up from what seemed to be fireballs. Of course, it will be
clear and sunny today!

Leonid-less in Carolina