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(meteorobs) Preliminary Report: LEONIDS - NOV 16/17, Descanso, Calif

  Good Morning All,

    Well, it only took 2 hours to get my data thoroughly entered. But I did
  it. (As these are extra-important visual observations, I have chosen to use
  SPSS for Windows [Statistical Programming ..] to store and analyze my LEONID
  '96 data).  A thorough statistical analysis will be forthcomin...as well as
  formal submissions to both (IMO, Rainer) and (NAMN, Mark)...


    Sometimes I feel Im in an enviable position (i.e. meteorobs-wise).
  Last night was truly an awesomely amazing night.  I, along with Robert
  Lunsford and George Zay had 7 HOURS of 6+ clear skies ALL NIGHT!
  My session was planned to go 2245-0530 (Local Pac Stan Time), or
  0645-1330 UT.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the time take any preventative
  counter-measures (i.e. nap and/or espresso).  Yes, damnit, I fell asleep
  (SORRY!) from 1000-1145 UT.

    So, for NOVEMBER 16/17 I watched from 0645-1330, including a 1000-1145
  snooze (in 32 deg F, in icy-sleeping-bag, wet-icy-pillow weather).

  I counted 97 total meteors in 5 hours.  (as did Bob, I faced east at an
  altitude of 70 deg all night (of course, except when I was sleeping!)

  Univ Time      Teff    LM       LEO   NTA   STA   SPO      Total

  0645-0815      1.45    6.3        5     3     1     7        16
  0815-1000      1.64    6.1       24     3     1    10        38
  1145-1330      1.63    6.0       31     5     0     7        43

      Total                        60    11     2    24        97



                       MAGNITUDE DISTRIBUTION
                         (Nov 16/17, 1996)


          -3   -2   -1    0    1     2    3    4    5    6    Total

  LEO      2    5    2   12    6    15    8    8    2    -      60
  NTA      -    -    -    1    -     5    5    -    -    -      11
  STA      -    -    -    -    -     -    -    -    2    -       2
  SPO      -    -    -    -    5     1    9    6    3    -      24

  TOT      2    5    2   12   11    21   22   14    7    -      97


  Saw many many wakes, and trains.  (more later...) large % of bright LEONIDS.
  22% of total count had magnitude 0 or brighter.  Pretty nice.



     HERE'S THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR NIGHT (Bob, your so gracious, THANK YOU!):

     The 3rd meteor (1st LEONID) I saw came at 0707 UT (11:07pm Pac Stand
  Time).  With a clear 6.3 nightsky, IT CAME!.  Bob and I were facing east.
  We both caught it, perfectly.   THE WHOLE BLOODY EVENT!!   I sure wish the
  entire MeteorsObs list hadda been there to see it!!

    Blazing upward from 'neath the E-NE horizon (which for us is framed
  by small mountain range), it appeared.  Easily seen orange in color.
  A MOST MAJESTIC -2 ORANGE LEONID. (it was as bright/brighter than Sirius)
  Bob and I catch its' start...  Up, up...  Comes nighly overhead (we approx
  it missed zenith by ~30 deg)...  just blazing...  now overhead, we
  both lean forward, look up, tracking it together, keeps going and going...
  now its behind us, we're craning our necks looking back...  its' still
  blazing.  Way way down toward San Diego city direction (W-SW) it
  disappeared.

   I immedately retraced the trajectory, twice.  1-chimpanzee, 2-chimpannzee,
  3-chimpanzee, 4-chimpanzee, 5-chimapnzee.  That's it.

   A DURATION OF AT LEAST 5 FULL LONG SECONDS.   THAT BEAUTIFUL ORANGE
   -2 LEONID TRAVELLED 140-150 DEGREES!.  It travelled practically the
  entire length of the sky passing practically overhead.  No real long
  persistant train, but Ill tell you, it had one helluva wake.  Bob will speak
  more of the incident (in the years he has observed... the 10000's of meteors
  he's seen..., he said on the drive home, it RANKS #3.).  Oh, yea.  We both
  saw something kindda strange.  Niether of us had seen this before.  Around
  the head of the meteoroid, there was this sorta glow, halo, luminence, as it
  sped thru the atmosphere.  We both clearly perceived it.