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(meteorobs) GEMINIDS 12/12-13/97 (So Calif)
A Windy and Wet Southern Calif GREETINGS all:
As George posted today, we here in So Cal have been experiencing severe
hurricane-strength winds!! Photos in the SD daily yesterday showed full
semi-trailer trucks that had been simply BLOWN OVER and RIPPED OPEN like a
can of sardines by 96 mph winds! And this happened days after we got hit
with big rains... Let me say... EL NINO IS HERE!!! The winds have subsided
but we do have lots of cloud cover... starting last night (the night of the
predicted maximum.. but more on that later)
I observed the night before the predicted GEMINID maximum from the
same spot I observed the LEONIDS this year.. just down the street from my
place. It was a chilly 42deg F. Skies were clear.. but that ^#$% moon!
Thinking it'd be wise to get in a "shadowed" area, I positioned my chair
adjacent to a 40-50 ft jacaranda tree (the only tree on this vast 100+ acre
field). Still, my LMs were worse this night then back in November for the
LEONID. I observed for 2 one-hour intervals (0208-0308 PST & 0320-0420
PST). Considering the washed-out sky and all, I was moderately satisfied
to count a total of 28 meteors, Teff = 1.92hr. The highlight of the session
was seeing 2 very very nice -1 GEMs. My field of view was centered in Leo
Minor, near beta Leonis Minoris... if I read my Tirion atlas correct, RA/Dec
coordinates are ~+36deg,11h30". Here are the formal data (for GEM/non-GEM
only)
============================================================================
GEMINID METEOR SHOWER - 1997
VISUAL REPORT
Southern California, USA
---------------------------
DATE: Dec 12/13, 1997 Begin: 1008 UT End: 1220 UT
OBSERVER: ASSJO (Joseph D. Assmus)
LOCATION: Long:117o 09'21" W; Lat:32o 42'53" N; Elev: ~0m (3km to ocean)
CITY & STATE: La Jolla, CA USA (~25km N of San Diego)
METHOD: Counting/Manual
============================================================================
--------------------------------------------------------------
Period(UT) Field(RA/Dec) Teff LM GEM SPO TOT
--------------------------------------------------------------
0208-0308 11:30/+36deg .95 5.1 12 4 16
0320-0420 " .97 5.1 9 3 12
--------------------------------------------------------------
1.92 5.1 21 7 28
=====================================================================
Magnitude Distribution Data
--------------------------------------------------------------+-------
Shower -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 | Mean
--------------------------------------------------------------+-------
GEM 2 3 4 6 5 2 | 1.71
SPO 1 1 1 4 | 3.14
======================================================================
Limiting Magnitude Data
Star Count Area
3 9
-----------------------
Time 0208 4.5 4.45
0238 5.2 5.0
0308 5.2 5.0
0320 5.2 5.0
0350 5.2 5.0
0420 5.2 5.0
=======================================================================
I was hoping for a good second night of observing and packed my things
Saturday night and headed for the mountains. A heavy cloud cover engulfed
the area so I was hoping Descanso (Zay site) would be nice and clear...
plus I haven't observed w/ Geo and Bob in a while... by Descanso, the clouds
were still thick... the only thing I could see when i stuck my neck out the
window was a perfectly beautiful lunar halo... though, I didnt drive 40
miles to the mountains in cold weather to see a freakin' lunar halo!!! I
kept pressing on... the clouds gotta dissipate soon I thought... I was now
70 miles from home, near Campo, CA and still... cloud cover/lunar halo. 15
more miles... STILL CLOUDY! It was now 0130 PST. Turned around for the 85
mile ride home. Appropriately, there was local radio station playing old
classic blues (I DID grow up in Chicago) so I cranked it up and smiled all
the way home. Back in La Jolla, now almost 3am, I look up and it's clear as
a bell. Figures!! So, to reward myself, I dropped my car off, grabbed 2
cans of beer at home, and went to my field, sat in my chair and drank those
2 beers and enjoyed the show... I guess I must've seen ~15-20 meteors
between 3-4am local time. after all that driving... just didnt feel like
doin' the formal data thing... (sorry;>)
Best Regards and Happy Holidays to all,
Joseph D. Assmus
Office of Sleep and Circadian Studies
School of Medicine, Univ of Calif
San Diego
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