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(meteorobs) Re: NWM1998Nov8/9+9/10 Taurids dull
I went out two early evenings to see what the Taurids are up to. Turns out
not much. The best I have done is -2m for brightness and 7 Taurids total
within one hour. I presume the fireballs over Japan are the combined effort
of several observers.
1998 Nov 8/9, 900 - 1140 EST (200 - 440 UT) , 2:40 hours, 23 meteors total
: 4 South Taurids, 7 North Taurids, 1 ambiguous Taurid, 10 sporadics. Sky
started at LM6.0, improved to LM6.5 in the hour before moonrise, then
dropped to LM5.0.
1998 Nov 9/10, 1026 - 1237 EST (326 - 537 UT), 2:11 hours, 19 meteors total
: 3 South Taurids, 4 North Taurids, 1 possible Andromedid, 11 sporadics.
First hour sky LM7.0, then LM6.5 for half an hour after moonrise, then LM5.5
thereafter. After midnight I saw only 3 meteors, so it was time to quit.
Just as well, since a bunch of clouds came across soon after I got home. It
probably cleared again after a couple of hours.
After these dull rates I decided to skip a couple of nights before trying it
again, and pushing into later hours as the moon wanes further. The weather
appears fairly stable with nights to be partly cloudy at worst for the next
several days. A front earlier predicted to get down here over the weekend
is now not expected to come at all. So we are warming up, mid-80's day and
mid-60's night, comfortable but with a few mosquitoes still around. The
Florida west coast is the more favorable side ; clouds coming off the
Atlantic have a chance to dissipate over land before coming over my way.
Doesn't always happen if they get too thick or numerous. I have had to
wait for several months to get some observing in, and the timing looks good
for a change.
A scheduled series of evening Iridiums here failed to show. First time for
that ; I didn't think it was possible. Rechecking predictions after the
first failure gave the same times. We tried for 2 flashes and got zip. One
line last time about the shuttle launch I didn't form clearly : I meant to
say the launch site is 150 miles to my NE.
Norman