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Meteors 101 (was: (meteorobs) reply 01JUL to Meteor Observations...)

In a message dated 98-07-04 12:58:46 EDT, you write:

<< << Dayle, It is hard to see a shower.  I have been looking for quite a
while.
 I saw one meteor yesterday and my husband I thought we saw something early
 this morning. >>
 
 
 It's not exactly heard to see meteors from a particular shower. I all depends
 on when and where you look. For example the people who have joined the list
 recently are at a little disadvantage because spring and early summer is the
 typically slow season (except for the Lyrids - and I'm starting to wonder
 about them).  The're showers ocurring all the time. Many tho have a very low
 ZHR. 
 You also need to find a relatively dark spot to watch from. If you want to
 contribute to the database you'll need a limiting magnitude of at least +5.
 That means you'll see a minimum from downtown Chicago, or NYC in my case or
 any other city or large town . So take a ride to the suburbs or country. I
 have to travel more than 100 miles round trip to do my observing. Those are
 the breaks. 
 The best time to start looking is after midnight locally. If you look right
 after dark you may see a few but not nearly as many as if you started looking
 at midnight. 
 You also need to know where to look. Go to the IMO or NAMN websites and find
 out where the radiants of the showers are. Then gaze in that direction. For
 myself I usually set up facing east, tho for some showers I face other
compass
 points. 
 The biggest piece of equipment you need to have with you is patience. No one
 is going to see 100 or 50 or even 5 per hour every day. You may sit for and
 hour (or even 2) without seeing even one. Then all of a sudden there may be 5
 in 5 seconds. There was one night a year or so ago when the NJ group was
 watching the Leonids (I believe) I watched from midnight thru 3:30 or 4 AM. I
 saw quite a few, then packed up and left and guess what happened? Yep, the
 rates dramatically increase until dawn. You just never know. 
 So in conclusion read through some of the material available. Ask for a copy
 of the NAMN guide, George Zay also wrote a guide for Observers. The IMO has a
 nice guide on meteors. Membership with the IMO also gets you a terrific
 newsletter. ALPO has a meteor section worth investigating. The best part? All
 of those people are right here !!!  Try it again with a little background and
 you'll see how easy it actually is.
 
 Kevin
 NJ Meteor Onserving Group  (NJMOG)
  >>
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