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(meteorobs) Re: Perseid max good from SW Fla
Finally got a break in the weather after missing 11 nights. Had a good
Perseid max after an 8-year wait since the last one. I arrived at my site
right about moonset, and observed 5:03 hours with 272 meteors. Full-hour
Perseid rates 126 - 526 EDT (526 - 926 UT) were 20,38,68,60 in sky LM7.2
first hour, then 7.3 thereafter.
I saw only 1 Kappa Cygnid the entire session. A very distinctive slow one,
so it's especially unlikely that I'm mislabeling them. Why do others see so
many of these?? I do better with the Kappa Aquarids in late September, and
a rate of 2/hr from a shower that slow really stands out.
A few bright Perseids were around this year, but none better than -5m.
642 UT WB -5 train 10s
719 UT Y -4 train 60s
727 UT BG -4 train 3s
741 UT Y -3 train 10s
906 UT Y -4 train 10s
Nice showing of long-enduring trains. I was surprised by such a long one
from just a -4. The middle of it bowed eastward a couple of degrees by the
time it ended.
The best minor shower was Alpha Capricornids, total 6 of these in 4 hours.
The most unusual color was an orange-red Perseid 0m seen soon after I
started. Haven't seen anything with any hint of red in quite some time. An
orange 0m Alpha Cap had a 3-degree sparkly wake, sparks were orange also.
Looking back to 1989 Aug 11/12, hours 326 - 526 EDT (726 - 926 UT) Perseids
were 62,61 in sky LM7.0. And in 1988, same night, 226 - 526 EDT (626 - 926
UT) Perseids 42,49,73 in sky LM7.3. So 1997 was very similar to 1988-89.
Post-max night in 1988 hours 226-526 EDT had Perseids 30,41,42 in sky
LM7.3. Will it be that good in 1997? We will find out tonight.
Norman
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