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(meteorobs) Re:Dec 8/9 & 9/10 Geminids

Weather cleared out for Dec 8/9 and looks all right for all of this week.  I
suppose a few clouds might come around as it warms up but shouldn't be too
bad.  Was in high 40's 8/9 and about 40 on 9/10; my wool blankets and
thermal underwear are working well.

Geminids look normal and on schedule.  For the 6 nights beginning 8/9 I
would expect top nightly rates to be 5,10,20,40,80,40 in this leap year.
The numbers make an interesting pattern.

Results for Dec 8/9 in 4:46 hours, 109-556 EST (609-1056 UT) were 31
Geminids, 6 Monocerotids, 8 Sigma Hydrids, 1 Delta Arietid, 1 Coma
Berenicid, 2 Puppid-Velids, 6 December Leonids, and 46 sporadics; total
101in sky 7.2 to 226 then 7.3.  Geminid rates 126-526 were 5,7,8,4; and
sporadics 8,5,7,19.  The last hour had some freak heavy sporadic action with
no radiant noticed.  Much of it came within the middle 15 minutes.  I need
to pin down the P-V's to a more definite radiant; both of these had long
paths projecting to the deep south.  The December Leonids are present again
(have been since 1972 but I have never plotted them).  Will keep the radiant
to myself and see if anyone else notices them.  Cook's list has the Delta
Arietids, a sparse but slow shower; I have a few bright ones from there over
time.  Two -3's were brightest : at 500 EST a yellow Coma Berenicid with
2-second train, and at 531 EST a blue-green Geminid with 0.5-second train.

After a good night a slower one almost always follows.  This phenomenon has
covered my entire observing career.  I cut out an hour-plus to sleep in the
middle of the session, woke up refreshed and still didn't improve my rates.
Total time 2:23 hours, 138-254 & 422-529 EST (638-754 & 922-1029 UT) in sky
7.3 got these: 19 Geminids, 1 North Chi Orionid, 2 Monocerotids, 2 Sigma
Hydrids, 1 Puppid-Velid, 4 December Leonids, 16 sporadics, total 45.
Nothing brighter than 0m.

Have to attend two meetings at H & R Block mornings of Dec 11 and 12.  What
sorry timing.  Will just have to go and pretend I'm awake.  Starting 9 AM, 3
hrs first one, 4 hrs the second one.  Grabbing sleep in fragments already,
but I can do it that way.  Don't have to have one long marathon sleep
session each day.  Better to have some shorter naps to keep refreshed.
Might not have time for the computer next three days; we'll have to wait and
see.

Norman