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(meteorobs) Re: July 19 & learning constellations

Jin -

>>The first annual NAMNfest is the week of July 11-19, and
>It's really a pity that I could not be able to join the NAMNfest, and I
>just wonder whether you could still access to meteorobs during that period.

Perhaps not directly, but if something comes up, we will have phone access
to someone who could access meteorobs... 

>The reason is that I was going to send a message to meteorobs before Jul.
>19 asking for help to observe possible (perhaps very less possibility)
>meteors around Jul. 19 from 1997 BR, which is the first NEO discovery of
>my group

Thanks for alerting us to this possibility!  

>The predicted radiant by Rob McNaught is
>RA=175 degrees, Dec=+65 degrees. 

Just pulled out my trusty Norton's star atlas here... hmm... just above the
bowl of the Big Dipper.  (I went through my Norton's some ago, and wrote in
all those RA degree measurements.. easier to convert positions to something
familiar that way)

>Would you be still observing there on Jul. 18 evening (Rob said that it
>would be an evening shower - if there be - for northern latitudes)?

Everybody's schedules are different for that week, with some being able to
stay longer than others in West Virginia.  But yes, we will all be trying to
keep a lookout for you on the evening of the 18th, wherever we are!

>Will there be a party during that weekend? :)

Party? :)  I think the appropriate answer is that we will be observing on
the clear nights, and doing other activities on the cloudy nights! ;>>

>We just had about 3 months bad weather here around Beijing, so I failed
>to start my meteor observation learning course (the first step for me
>is to recongnize those constellations and stars on the LM charts). 

The weather up in the northeastern part of N. America has been less than
desirable for quite a while here.  During the several good clear patches we
did have, I was unfortunately unable to get out, due to work commitments
with a new job.  I am hoping things will settle down soon so I can get some
observing in.

With regard to the constellations and stars on the LM charts, might I offer
a suggestion.  Instead of using those charts to <learn> the constellations
from, get a basic book on learning the sky, and use that.  The
constellations are drawn out much more simply, and you also usually get a
description of the legends behind each, as well as some details on the
constellation's brighter stars.  It makes it much easier to learn the basic
constellations if you can relate other things to it, besides just a pattern
of stars.  Personally, the book I learned my constellations from was "Stars"
by Zim and Baker, one of the Golden Nature guides.  (Golden makes a whole
series of pocket nature guides - on identifying stars, rocks, flowers, etc.)

You will <then> find that the LM charts use slightly different patterns, ie.
they join the constellation lines together differently.  For the LM charts,
I don't worry about that. 

However, for the <plotting maps>, I very carefully took a bottle of ink
'white-out', and re-drew all the constellation lines to the patterns that I
recognize best.  That way, I can find constellations much faster for
plotting purposes.  

I also very carefully 'whited' out the very tiny star magnitude numbers and
those very tiny 'v' markings for variables, on the <plotting maps>.  I wear
my distance glasses for observing (obviously), and those tiny numbers and
v's were making my plotting maps too cluttered for quick plotting at arm's
length!  Now that they are gone, my eyes can pick out the stars on the
plotting maps much more easily, and quickly!  

(These are all just personal suggestions, of course!)

>There were several observable nights last week, and I was deeply involved with
>GRB observations... Anyway, I must start my first meteor observation
>before Jul. 19. I just saw a very 'near' meteor (Bob Lunsford said that
>it could be a -6 fireball !) on Jun. 18.68 UT, that's the first 'recorded'
>observation for me after I subscribed to meteorobs in Feb.

Good luck on your observing!  We will be thinking of you especially around
July 18/19!

Clear Skies,

- Cathy


===================================================
Cathy Hall, chall@cyberusdot ca
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
RASC, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Kingston Centre
NYAA, North York Astronomical Association
===================================================