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(meteorobs) June 2 Observations
-- [ From: Robert Lunsford * EMC.Ver #2.5.3 ] --
I watched for 4 hours from the Descanso Observatory this morning. It was
a beautiful morning with transparent skies. Observations started with
the first quarter moon low in the west. Despite the presence of the moon
limiting magnitude estimates were very good. In fact the LM estimates
hardy changed after moonset indicating how little interference it
actually caused. Soon after moonset the sky became very dark to within
20 degrees of the western horizon indicating how well the fog bank over
the city smothered the light pollution. I was facing due south toward
the heart of the Milky Way. It was a fantastic sight and even gave a
hint of a blue tint after moonset. Activity was steady throughout the
session. The Sagittarid radiant was active and there were also two
possible Omega Scorpids seen from near Beta Scorpii. The highlight of
the morning was a very fast -2 sporadic that shot down the length of
Serpens Cauda on the eastern side of Ophiuchus. It was very Perseid-like
and of a pure white color. There was an amazing amount of satellite
activity seen after 3am including a -1 Iridium flare. There were more
satellites traveling in a west to east direction than usual. I usually
see perhaps one or two travelling in this direction but this morning
there were four such satellites.
June 2, 1998
0730-0830 UT 0.93 6.83 3 SAG 6 SPO 9 TOTAL
0830-0930 UT 0.93 6.87 1 OSC 1 SAG 7 SPO 9 TOTAL
0930-1030 UT 0.95 6.86 8 SPO 8 TOTAL
1030-1130 UT 0.92 6.59 1 OSC 10 SPO 11 TOTAL
TOTALS 3.73 6.79 2 OSC 4 SAG 31 SPO 37 TOTAL
The first column is the period watched in Universal Time (PDT+7 hours).
The second column is the percent of the time actually watching the sky.
Time is lost for breaks, plotting, and data entry. The third column is
the average limiting magnitude during this period with a minimum of 4
estimates per period. The last column lists the activity seen during
each period.
I was facing South at an altitude of 65 degrees. No breaks were taken
during this session. OSC = Omega Scorpids, SAG = SAGITTARIDS (actually
in Ophiuchus), and SPO = SPORADIC (random activity)
Beginning Temperature/Relative Humidity: 38 F (3 C) 63%
Ending Temperature/Relative Humidity: 34 F (1 C) 82%
MAGNITUDES:
OSC +4 (2) AVERAGE: +4.00
SAG -1 (1) +3 (1) +4 (1) +5 (1) AVERAGE: +2.75
SPO -2 (1) -1 (1) 0 (1) +1 (4) +2 (5) +3 (10) +4 (7) +5
(2) AVERAGE: +2.55
Bob Lunsford
San Diego, California USA
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