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(meteorobs) May 4/5 Aquarids



Norman et al -

We actually got a decent night up here in Canada on Sunday, first in a long
time...  I headed out to Rolf & LInda Meier's place, near Almonte, Ontario, and
set up both my refractor and my meteor gear in their back field.  It had been
cloudy all day, but cleared off to a cool, windy evening, about 0C, actually had
frost later on.

Didn't devote the whole evening to meteors.... <running and ducking here>.  I've
been trying very hard to finish off our RASC "Finest NGC" list, so worked on
galaxies in Virgo, Leo Minor and Ursa Major for quite a while.  It was a good
crisp sky, so even managed to get NGC 3003, mag 11.7 and NGC 4157, mag 11.9 with
my 4.7 inch scope.  (Faintest object on the list was NGC 2371/2, a 13.0 mag
double-lobed planetary in Gemini, which I got 2 winters back.  Hardest object
for me was IC289, a 12.3 mag planetary in Cass, which I got from New Mexico last
October.)  Anyway, cranked away to the tunes of classic rock.... 

Once I started hitting the wee morning hours, figured I better do some meteors..
;)  However, about that time, got a huge bank of light cloud that moved into the
whole eastern sky, very nicely blocking out Pegasus, and any hope of
Aquarius.... so worked on some more deep sky until it dissipated... and finished
the list!! :))

Got only an hour of meteors, facing east, and butted right into twilight.
However, did see 4 Eta Aquarids, all with nice trains, all within my first
half-hour (0800-0830 UT)  - one real beaut, 0 mag, 20 degree train.  None below
the radiant in my sky (I'm at latitude 45.18.35 north), but several at about the
same height in the sky as the radiant.  All white.  (I don't see meteor colours
easily anyway.)

It clouded over Monday afternoon, and forecast is for rain until Sunday.... 

- Cathy
  Great White North
  Cloudy and -5C tonight....