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(meteorobs) Leonids
Did not manage to get to my computer to report 16/17 Leonids.
Over period4.50 to 6.20UT saw a total of 45 Leonids, 3 Taurids and 2
sporadics. I'm probably a bit low on the fainter sporadics despite a
limiting magnitude of around 6 at the startuntil around 6.10. My
main object in this report is to mention two long duration trains
(trails). At 05.37 UT a magnitude -5 Leonid left a train that
persisted for 12 minutes (yes minutes) in Hydra. I am afraid my
counts will have suffered as I watched it closly . It covered only the
terminal part about 10 degrees of the meteor path. Initially qiute
sharp it rapidly ( within 30 seconds) developed a 30 degree kink
leftwards in the lower third. The train broadened and became more
diffuse with the upper third broadening far more rapidly than the
rest to give an appearance like a comet with a broad coma and a
narrower tail.The whole drifted westward. After 7 minute the 'head'
was between the letter that looks like a worm with indigestion and
epsilon Hydra. The tail has extended as far as rho Hydra. By 10 minutes
only the 'head persisted' and vanished totally after 12 minutes, filling much
of the space between epsilondot delta, eta and sigma Hydra.
A magnitude -5/-6 meteor around 6.22 left a train which persisted 50
seconds in a brightening sky.
Last night 17/18 around 4.00 UT I saw another bright meteor-3/-4
which left a persistent train lasting several minutes but I have not
transcribed my tape yet. In this case the train became distorted
severely in a matter of seconds.
If any of you US observers with cameras get a chance you might be
able to get some useful information on upper atmosphere winds by
taking photographs of these persistent trains AFTER a bright leonid
has passed.
These very persistent trains seem to be a particularliy Leonid phenomenon at
least in terms of the shower meteors I have seen. Last year I saw one
long duration train lasting four minutes.
Nick Martin
Ayrshire, Scotland
(lat 55 42', 4 24'W)