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(meteorobs) Re: NWM1999Jan12/13 meteors fair+more
Looks like George Zay and I did our first night of the year together. I
observed 2:02 hours in sky LM7.3 seeing 19 meteors between 224 and 426 EST
(724 - 926 UT). But I managed to screen out every possible Delta Cancrid.
One meteor came right from the radiant but was fast ; Deltas are slow, more
like Taurids. Two slow ones with the right speed missed the radiant by 6
degrees on the north side ; one similar one did the same by 5 degrees on the
south side ; all unacceptably large misses. So, I saw no Delta Cancrids.
The 19 sporadics averaged 3.00m with none better than 0m. The most
interesting one was an intense orange very slow +2m, but not slow enough to
be a reentry plus there was no fragmenting.
1999 Jan 12/13, Norman McLeod
724 - 826 UT 1.03 Teff F1.00 field 150, +5 LM7.3 11S 11T
826 - 926 UT 1.00 Teff F1.00 field 165, +5 LM7.3 8S 8T
mag.....0....1....2....3....4....5
.............1....1....6....3....5....3....average +3.00
There was a bright flashing satellite pestering me every 15 seconds for 20
minutes as it moved SE across Leo overhead. This was the longest lasting
flasher I've seen. The first flashes were +1m, and they gradually
brightened to -1m before it quit. Total movement was only 20 degrees.
A single flash seen has to be watched carefully to see if it repeats, before
a stationary meteor can be recorded. I don't recall seeing flashers before
about 1975. But I also got better at detecting movement in very short
meteors, so the number of stationary ones has fallen off greatly. My rate
of stationary meteors is about the same as Bob Lunsford. A path length as
short as 2 minutes of arc I have no trouble noticing, so that can't count as
a stationary meteor. I have never seen a stationary fireball, but I have
several that went only one degree. A purple -6m Geminid going one degree
very near the radiant in 1969 was the most memorable. My path lengths
average shorter than other plotters, according to Olivier looking at my
plots. Right offhand I would say my average is roughly 5 degrees. I am
equally intrigued at seeing other's plots running much longer than mine.
If Bill Gates and I saw a long one together, he felt like I was seeing only
a portion out of the middle of the path. Olivier was also surmising that I
don't detect a meteor until it has brightened up a certain amount. Who knows...
Fort Myers is installing new decorative antiglare streetlights on several
major roads. These are the best lights I have seen, shaped like Hershey's
kisses with downward light angle no more than 50 degrees from vertical.
US41 through town is a remarkable sight with the lights visible only a few
poles into the distance ; the street is lit but above the lights is dark.
Yard lights are the worst offenders, almost always completely unshielded.
The last intersection going out of town for observing has a large group of
lights with horrendous glare -- the very last light is the brightest of all
and it leaves me temporarily blinded after passing it. In eyes beginning to
dark-adapt it is actually painful to pass that light ; I try to remember to
hold my hand up to block it.
>
>mark>>I saw a good number of meteors on Saturday night, all were the same
>deep green color and were 0-1 mag. I'm thinking they may have been
>an apparition of the January Draconids. <<
I am unable to believe that anyone would see only green meteors. Not even
Felix Martinez is that good ; he sees as much green as I do orange.
Combined with the bright magnitudes here reminds me of fireflies.
In 1975 I got in a full weekend of observing around this period plus some
subsequent nights. Some rates follow, all sky LM7.0 and location 27N, 82W
in Florida.
1975 Jan 10/11, 928PM - 528AM EST, hourly rates 5,6,7,2,11,11,9,10.
Jan 11/12, 1028PM - 428AM EST, rates 4,10,12,11,14,22.
Jan 14/15, 228 - 528 EST, rates 15,22,17.
Jan 15/16, 228 - 528 EST, rates 17,21,19.
Jan 16/17, 228 - 528, sporadics 17,15,13 ; Delta Cancrids 4,1,1 ; last hour
add one Kappa Cygnid (from the old list in New Handbook of the Heavens).
Jan 17/18, 1128PM - 528AM EST, sporadics 4,6,8,13,9,18 ; Delta Cancrids
0,1,1,3,1,0.
Rates got rather good starting Jan 14/15 that year. Delta Cancrids showed
up well around their maximum of Jan 17.
The 1999 night just completed had rates almost identical to those of 1975
Jan 10/11. The two hours of 1999 totalled 11,8 ; the same hours in 1975
were 11,9 ; two nights difference.
Norman
Norman W. McLeod III
Asst Visual Program Coordinator
American Meteor Society
Fort Myers, Florida
nmcleod@peganet.com
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