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Re: (meteorobs) Leoind storm accounts
Gregg Pasterick <greggpasterick@yahoo.com> on 08/30/99 10:20:01 AM
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Subject: (meteorobs) Leoind storm accounts
.......meteor folks,
I'm lookin' for a few tales of the 1996 Leonid storm to use in my
nature column (in a weekly Columbus, Ohio paper). Readers might be more
motivated to check out the Leoinds if I have a few quotes/experiences
to mention. Something about last year's fireballs would be inspiring as
well.
If you were one of the fortunate ones back in 1966, and have a moment
or 2, I'd really appreciate hearin' from ya. Thanks!
Gregg, here's my '98 Account,
On Fri. the 13th I was planning my Leonid trip, wondering where the
clear skies would be. I was to be traveling alone, but at the last second
my son decided that he wanted to go. After 45 minutes on the phone with his
mom and his teacher (4th grade) it was set, it would be me and him.
On Sat night we had some visitors, my best friend John, and my other
best friend, his dog Wolfgang. To keep from rambling, Wolf (a 110 pd
Malamute/wolf mix) Decided to go with us too. After studying the weather
channel Sat. and Sun. I decided we should just stay put in central Md, and
just go a few miles from home in the Antietam Natl Battlefield.
On Sun night the three of us went out around 11:30, I familiarized my
son with Orion, Gemini, star count area 4 in Gemini, and when it rose high
enough, Leo. Then I explained how to trace the path of a meteor to decide
whether it is associated with a shower, Leonids particularly. We were out
for about 5 Hours TEFF, (Time Effective) with Leonid rates rising steadily
from 2-3/hr the
first few Hrs to ~15/hr before sunrise. Included in this were 9 fireballs,
6 in the last two hours. No storm, but an entertaining and educational
experience for all.
Monday night we got out to the battlefield around 10 minutes before
midnight. I got the lounges set up, got my son into his sleeping bag, got
wolf's water, and was just getting my recorder and star count charts out
when my son let out that unmistakable "meteor yell". I quickly looked up,
fully expecting to be too late. Instead, out of the ESE I see this
fireball, A literal ball of fire, the head looked 1/2 the size of the full
moon, the flaming red tail seeming to extend almost ten degrees across
the sky. Even catching it late I watched it travel what seemed 130 degrees
and three seconds (?) (it seemed to last forever) across the entire
southern horizon. I estimated it at -10 magnitude, But it was hard to call
since it was really the red of fire, not the brilliant blue/white I'm more
accustomed to. My son admitted later that this fireball actually scared
him for
a moment, he thought it was going to crash into the cornfield in front of
us
and end the world. Anyhow I thought, "Boy are we gonna have a good night!!"
I
was right! The first hr we saw ~35 Leonids, 5 being fireballs. One -5
fireball with a thirty second train and the -8 I mentioned before. We then
got clouded out for a while, soooo frustrating on a night like that! When
the skies cleared, our rates skyrocketed to 70 in the next hour. These were
almost all 0 to -2 mag. Only one -4 fireball. Still, nothing I'd want to
sleep through! The third hour rates dropped just slightly, to 63 Leonids,
but 9 were fireballs, including six -4s, one with a thirty second train.
Two neg 5s also in this hour! The last hour before morning twilight began
to interfere we saw a total of 84 Leonids, almost one/45 seconds! Wooo
Hooo! Five -3 fireballs, a neg 4 with a thirty second train, and a neg 5
exploding into a brilliant -7 blue/white flashbulb imitation. What a great
night! I have NEVER seen so many fireballs! And we "shouldn't bother going
out unless we're making the trip to the far east" HA!!!
Unfortunately Tuesday night ( ironically the only night the local
weatherman claimed would be crystal clear) we were completely washed out, I
saw a few fireballs through the thick clouds, but it never cleared enough
to make any "real" observations.
All in all Mon night / Tues. morning made it all worth while. I will
be making an electronic copy of my and my sons observations and forwarding
them to all pertinent agencies later this week. Hope everyone else had as
enjoyable an experience as my motley little crew!
Clear skies!!!
John Newton
Addendum 30 Aug '99: My son Johnathon made complete reports of his
observations (with some help). I forwarded these to the IMO, NAMN, & NASA.
We recieved thank you letters from NASA, and were both mentioned as
contributors in the year end NAMN report. My son did a short report, and
showed these to his teacher and class. At the end of the year his teacher
nominated him, and he won a regional science award, frosting on the cake of
an absolutely wonderful experience. We'll both be out there again this
year!
John Newton
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