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(meteorobs) Re: Shooting Star Weekend!




Well, so far this Perseid max I've had two good nights, one really mediocre, 
one total loss, and one bitter-sweet "might have been". About the "might have 
been" (Sat night), I'll just say New England's changing weather got me again!

Last night was the really mediocre one... Through a haze which left skies at my 
"dark site" in Westford, MA looking remarkably like they do usually in Medford, 
I observed a relatively smooth increase in PERseid rates over previous nights, 
and normal rates on all other showers watched. Of 44 meteors observed in 2+ 
hours, 21 were PERs. There was notable granularity in minute-to-minute PER 
rates, but nothing that looked anything like an outburst.

The data summary, with report to follow hopefully today:
PERIOD(UT) FIELD  Teff  F    LM    PER KCG NDA SDA NIA SIA CAP PAU SPOR
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
0350-0500  21h+45 1.10h 1.00 5.62  8   1   1   0   1   1   2   0   5
0500-0630  21h+45 1.13h 1.00 5.28  13  0   2   1   0   0   0   1   8
         TOTAL:                    21  1   3   1   1   1   2   1   13

Prospects for tonight's peak are grim to depressing... An extensive bank of 
high and mid-level clouds stretches from the Ohio Valley north and east, riding 
on a pressure wave that looks to be heading straight for us by tonight. There's 
a slight possibility (and NWS hints at this too) of clearing before morning, 
but whether the clearing will beat dawn's light in our area is iffy.

Lew, sad but somewhat sated :)



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