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(meteorobs) Summary of a Winter Meteor Session (GRALE 24/25-Nov-1997)
Last night was another New England Fake-Out night: pristine skies and good
forecast up until twilight, followed by a couple of hours of seeming total
cloud-out. By midnight local time however, the skies were back to being as
inky-black as they can get from Medford, and I was ready for another chilly
night under the skies! Temperature hovered around 26oF (-3.5oC), while the
winds were whipping in fine Northeastern style out of the North, at 5-17
knoughts. With a windchill in the single-digits, I bundled up heavy and
decided to stick to the backyard.
During about 3.5 hours of observing (Teff ~= 2.0), I saw a fair sprinkling
of Sporadic meteors, 3 or 4 of the NTAs and STAs (North & South Taurids),
one very definite XOR (Chi Orionid - see below!) and essentially nothing
else! Still, this is the kind of Winter observing which I appreciate most
(next to major-shower maxima anyway): a simple, quiet night with just me,
my IMO charts, and the bright, bright stars of the Winter Milky Way!
No animals stirred in the New England chill (except me), and the stars had
a special sparkle which they generally only have on dark Winter nights. I
lay quiet for most of the 2.5 hours nestled in the sleeping bag on the lawn
chair, although at least three bright flashes during the night elicited an
awed exclamation from my mufflered lips. The rest of the time between meteor
plots, I lay and became ever more acquainted with the many strings of faint
stars raying out from classic Winter asterisms: streamers coursing through
the heart of the Charioteer's pentagon; faint extensions of the Bull's body
below the Hyades; subtle stars falling from the arms of Orion and Perseus.
These are the nights that make astronomy more than just a hobby, with or
without a big telescope at hand...
Both a possible AMO (Alpha Monocerotid) and a possible MON (Monocerotid) were
observed, as well as perhaps 2 NTAs and 1 STA - quite a show for what was
supposed to be the LAST NIGHT of activity from these latter two streams!
Out of 22 meteors plotted, the best by far were a looong, slow -3 Sporadic
seen at 06:33:15 UT, and a startling 1.5 mag point meteor right at the XOR
radiant. (This is the third true point meteor in a month - very nice!)
A night well worth the chafed cheek and stuffy nose I ended up with today!
IMO/NAMN Report will follow soon, plot charts to be mailed to Mark Davis.
Clear skies and many meteors all!
Lew