[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
(meteorobs) DRACO data LANMA Oct. 8-9 1999
Hi all!
As reported in two quick e-mail flyers yesterday evening, I've been able
to catch some Draconids last night. Below is a table with my data.
Activity was low level but enough stream members appeared to make it
clear that the stream was active, rather like the low-level activity we
noted from our country in 1998 just a few hours after the main outburst
over Japan that year. Like 1998, meteors were faint.
My data suggest a tentative ZHR in the order of 11 +- 5 (period 20-21 UT).
I have been lucky, since the weather conditions are very bad at the
moment due to a 'low pressure train' over our part of Europe, resulting
in cloud cover and rainshowers. But I was lucky enough to get two
serious periods of clear skies, each lasting 20 minutes, within one hour
between 19:50 and 21:00 UT, enough to do some
vigilant work. I have seen no other visual reports from my country except
for a NEGATIVE one by Hans Betlem c.s. who were observing some 10 km to the
north for 30 minutes or so, and report seeing NO Draconids (further details
like limiting magnitude, cloud cover etc. are lacking currently. They
were most likely observing from a site with more light pollution than
that of me if they were at the place where I think they were).
Peter Bus reports activity between 18-20 UT with Radio MS.
Just a quick narrative about the data below; around 20:30 LT (18:30 UT) I
noted some small breaks in the cloud cover at the horizon, much to my
surprise since I had just come to terms with the idea of (again) losing
this Draconid maximum (we had cancelled our planned campaign due to the
bad seemingly hopeless weather prospects). At 19:50 UT it was clear that
the cloud cover over my head was breaking too so I assembled my
equipment. A Lm estimate at 19:58 UT reached a very good +6.3 in Cep and
Dra counting areas, which is a very good Lm for my location, and so I
started at 19:59 with a sky that was now completely open (!) except for
some clouds in the far distance, a few degrees
above the horizon, far away over sea. It became clear that cloud fields
over sea seemed to dissolve once coming onto land. 5 minutes later, at
20:04, a faint short slow +4 meteor made a short trail just below beta
Lyra, almost in the center of my vision and coming straight from the
radiant! That made my heart beat faster. Some sporadics later, a second
one (+2, the brightest noted) appeared at 20:18, traveling from Her to
Oph just before clouds began to intrude. At 20:20, I was forced to take a
break. Since smaller clearings were present I stayed on vigil for any
Draconids, in order to note them down. I noted thus one other Draco in
'unofficial' time at 20:31 (+3) with a partly overcast sky (note; table
below only gives the 'official' records, i.e. periods without clouds in the
sky, thus this 'unofficial' 6th Draco is not mentioned in below table). At
20:37, sky opened again and I again counted a Lm of +6.3. At
20:44 a +4 Draco appeared in the north of Cygnus, but in the corner of my
eye so this one might be a little bit uncertain. One minute later,
another +3 Draco appeared under the left wing of Cygnus. At 20:50, a thin
veil spread across the sky and Lm dropped to +5.9. At 20:57, a fifth
('sixth' if counting the unofficial 20:31 as well) Draco appeared, +3,
travelling towards Lacerta. At 20:58 I was forced to stop since clouds
now definitely intruded. But anyhow I felt quite satisfied. After all,
Draconids are uncommon meteors!
All trails have been plotted on a gnomonic map. Table with data below.
- Marco Langbroek
(Dutch Meteor Society)
Date; Oct 8-9, 1999
Obs; Marco Langbroek LANMA
loc.; Voorschoten, Netherlands, 52d 07'N, 4d 28'E
UT Teff Lm Dra dAur Psc Tau Spo
19:59-20:20 0.32 6.3 2 0 0 0 4
20:38-20:50 0.18 6.3 2 0 0 0 2
20:50-20:58 0.10 5.9 1 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 0.60 <6.3> 5 0 0 0 6 11
strm/mag. +2 +3 +4 +5 <m>
Draconids 1 2 2 0 3.2
Sporadics 2 3 0 1 3.0
>>>
To UNSUBSCRIBE from the 'meteorobs' email list, use the Web form at:
http://www.tiacdot net/users/lewkaren/meteorobs/subscribe.html