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Re: (meteorobs) Alpha Cygnids surprise

Hello Pierre,

Interresting note. Can you by time supplie some real numbers?
I have not been able to observe after July 21/22. Normally, you can 
expect some 2-4 alfa Cygnids/hour if conditions are good.  That is based 
on my 1990 and 1998 experience so far. In 1998 I saw noticable activity 
on July 23, that is: about 2-3/hour (and I believe Peter Jenniskens had 
similar results). 
That could perhaps be some guideline against which to check your data.
Note that when observing south, there is some possibility of early 
Perseids lining up (but they are slightly faster, and have very long 
trails due to the radiant at larger distance).
Alfa Cygnids should be inbetween Geminids and Quadrantids in apparent 
velocity (i.e. about 40 km/s).
Our DMS results (Jenniskens, Astron. Astroph. 1994) gives ZHR around 2 
around this time, the article by Olech et al. only slightly higher. But 
with the radiant almost in the zenith, you can expect to see the full ZHR.

-Marco


Op Fri, 24 Jul 1998, Pierre Martin schreef:

> Hello,
> 
> I just observed last night (July 23/24) about 3 hours from my 
> backyard when skies unexpectedly cleared (limiting magnitude about 
> 5.8). I did not decode my tape yet, and plots need to be checked, 
> but I saw a handful of meteors aligning with the Alpha Cygnids radiant.
> One of them was a spectacular blue-white -4 that descended toward
> Cap. leaving only a 1 sec train.
> 
> I will be back with more details once the tape decoded. 
> 
> Was anyone else out observing last night and saw (more than usual 
> activity) from the Cygnids radiant ?  
> 
>                                 .    .    . .
> Pierre Martin                  . . *  . *  .  .
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>
References: