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Re: (meteorobs) Observing Aurigid attempt
Steve>> Also hope to be better prepared with enough
of my own equipment next time, too. Lew even had to loan me a dark pencil
when I discovered my BIC wouldn't write upside down...<<
I have at least 3 pencils with me at my cot. I use all three before the night
is over. When one pencil starts to get dull...I swap out. Yes...pens are
essentially useless...especially when plotting. Also don't use a red pencil.
You won't see your plots in the dark when using your red light.
Steve>> Even then, however, I only counted AURs; everything else I counted
as a SPO since I didn't (and still don't) know the constellations or
radiant locations. My Teff was very low since I spent considerable time
trying to find the pencil, the red flashlight Lew loaned me, put my glasses
down so I could see what I was writing, figure out what mag I thought I
saw, whether the meteor might be an Aurigid, look at my watch, write it all
down, find my glasses again, get them on without putting out my eye, then
pull the sleeping bag back over. Altogether, I doubt I spent less than 30
seconds per meteor doing all of that. <<
The rythm will come to you eventually. If you didn't use a two foot long dark
cord this time...get one for the next time. You will find it make some things
easier for you. For plotting, I usually subtract 30 seconds/ meteor for dead
time. Sometimes I'm quicker and sometimes I'm slower. I find it a more
realistic dead time/meteor.
Steve>> I know that he was seeing some meteors that I never
noticed, probably +3 or fainter.<<
This is normal. Don't be surprised that some will be brighter and that one of
you won't notice it. Bob and I have these. Of course I will miss more than bob
does.
Steve>> And as Lew noted in his report, I
considered the fireball that we both caught as something like -6, and I
thought the color was a bright bluish-white.<<
This happens to. On occasions, Bob and I will disagree on a meteor
magnitude...whether it be a fireball or regular meteor. Still you put down
what you think it was. The alpha capricornid that I photographed in late july
that I've mentioned here we weren't in agreement about. I said it was -4 and
bob said it was a -5. On some occasions I will be high and bob low...but we
are usually pretty close. On one recent observing nite, We saw a fireball. Bob
called it a -5 and I mentioned into my tape recorder that it was a +5 meteor.
Bob was gasping for words and then mentioned "Gee George, that metoer was at
least a 0 magnitude...didn't it seem a little brighter than +5 to you?" I
said, "+5? I meant -5." I had a brain fart when I was talking into my tape
recorder..dot it was defintely a -5 or close to....Gosh...a +5? Dang! I'm glad
Bob caught it. I'd be wondering what happened to my -5 fireball?
Steve>>And at 07h03, within a span
of just 3 or 4 seconds, THREE meteors, only one of which was an AUR,
appeared, two almost simultaneously.<<
You oughta try plotting 4 meteors when you seen them all nearly
simultaneously. I had this happen last month one night. You plot the one's you
know for sure...if you can't remember what the others were or where they
were...list them as sporadics and not plot.
George Zay
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