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(meteorobs) Re: assistance please

Beboutwebb@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Still a beginner, I wonder if one of you would let me know:
> 
> 1.  Should the following be just for my own education/journal or should it be
> shared with others? Who?

Mrs. Webb, this is a good start. A report of 10 minutes length is not 
really of any scientific use but we all need to start somewhere. Sharing
it with us on the list was the right thing to do. Here is how I would 
report this:

Oct 11/12, 1999  

5:25-5:35 UT   L.M. = ?.?  Teff = 0.17  1  SPO  1 Total

Magnitudes:  SPO  -1  (1)   1  TOTAL

Observer:  R. Webb
Site:  home, Anaheim, CA, USA
Location:  Long.  33 degrees 46' 45"  Latit.  117 degrees 54' 39"

You should try to include an estimate of your limiting magnitude which
gives us a good idea of your observing conditions. Teff = Effective
Observing Time in decimals of an hour.

You have your choice of listing each and every meteor you see or just
a summary as in the example above. 

> 2.  Am I collecting correct information? 

See Above

> 3.  How can this data be better organized?

See Above

> 4.  Is there a form for less than an hour observing time?

See the NAMN website for available forms: 
http://web.infoavedot net/~meteorobs/

> 5. Am I getting closer to what is important for meteor observing?

Most definitely! I know it all seems difficult now but after some 
practice you will be able to process several hundred meteors per
session.

> ________________________
> 
> Date: 10-11/12-99 (or should it be 99-10-11/12 ?)
> 
> Time:  5h 28m UT  (my time was 10:28 PM PDT)
> 
> Location:  Long.  33 degrees 46' 45"  Latit.  117 degrees 54' 39" (location
> of a government building 3 miles away)
> 
> IMO code: Is this where I should know the radiant?  If a meteor started
> within 10 degrees south of alpha Arietis (Hamal) and beta Arietis (Sheratan),
> then does this meteor "line up" with an "Aries radiant?"  If not, what can
> one say about it's starting point?
> 
If the meteor was 20-25 degrees long then the actual radiant has to be
20-25 degrees away. Traveling this distance in 2 seconds would yield a 
velocity of approximately 12.5 degrees per second. This is of medium 
velocity so I would rate it a "3" on a numeric velocity scale. If this
meteor did indeed travel due south it would have been a Taurid had it
not been so long. It sounds to me as if it was a sporadic (SPO). 

> Site:  home, Anaheim, CA, USA
> 
> Observer:  R. Webb
> 
> Velocity:  It went about 20 to 25 degrees from start to finish.  It may have
> taken 2 seconds to travel that distance.  Is it a velosity of  " 1 " (very
> slow)?
 
See Above.

> Observing Period:  actually it was just a 10 minute break
> 
> Magnitude:  It was slightly less bright than Jupiter (-2.0), much brighter
> than any other star/planet.  Is a good guess " -1 magnitude "?
> 
Actually Jupiter is just under magnitude -3 so your meteor could have 
been -2.

> Other information:  It traveled due south, looked white, and had a straight
> train that seemed to last in view as long as the meteor did.
> 
> Even with the web sites and books I have been reading, I am still unclear on
> what to do.  Thank you for any help you can give me.
> 
> Mrs. Webb

I hope this all helps. Hang in there!

Bob Lunsford
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