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(meteorobs) Re: NWM1999Oct 18/19 Orionids fair



After checking with the mosquito control district about encephalitis, and
hearing that it hasn't spread or reached near my observing site, I decided
to go out.  Summer is almost over with night temps below 70F so I had to use
a cover sheet soon after arrival.  A strong cold front will be here by the
weekend to take it down another 10 degrees.

Total observing time was 2:38 hours in sky LM7.2, covering 226 -504 EDT (626
- 904 UT).  Rather heavy ground fog blew in and ended the session
prematurely ; another 1.5 hours was available.  I napped out there until
after sunrise to get slightly better conditions for the drive back.  A total
of 37 meteors were recorded : 18 Orionids, 2 Delta Aurigids, 1 North Taurid,
1 South Taurid, 1 Epsilon Geminid, and 14 sporadics. 

 The two complete local hours 226 - 426 EDT  (626 - 826 UT) had 3,12
Orionids ; 5,7 sporadics ; and 9,21 total.  Other showers were almost
absent.  It all started very slowly with only 5 meteors in the first 45
minutes.  The second hour was reasonably good.  But in the past I have seen
better Orionid rates on Oct 18/19.

The best Orionid was a yellow  -2m with 1-second train.  The best of the
night was a slow yellow  -4m sporadic that lasted 2 seconds with a train
lasting 10 seconds.  The train had a bulge on its end but I did not see a
terminal flash.

Orionid magnitude totals for categories  -2m to 6m were 1,0,1,2,3,4,6,1,0 ;
total 18.  Average mag was 2.61, rather bright due to lack of the faintest
Orionids.

Poor conditions are blocking any further Orionid observing.  This shower
performs poorly in bright moonlight so I don't plan more than a little
casual watching this weekend when we expect clear skies again.

Terry wrote : 

>... Venus and Mars on the other had change
>brightness by almost four magnitudes from brightest to faintest.

In dark sky Venus would vary by less than a magnitude.  To get it fainter
than  -3.5m it has to be at, or very near, inferior conjunction.  It would
be a rare sight indeed to see a faint Venus during a solar eclipse -- it
blazes away during almost all totalities, easily visible half an hour prior.

Norman



 
Norman W. McLeod III
Staff Advisor
American Meteor Society

Fort Myers, Florida
nmcleod@peganet.com

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