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(meteorobs) Quadrantids: novice report from Central Texas



Teff 80 minutes between 6:19 and 7:56 Jan 4 UTC.  Location 
approx. 30.25N, 98.25W, 350m (about 45-50 km west of Austin, 
Texas, south of Pedernales Falls State Park, which was 
closed for deer hunting).  Limiting magnitude was pretty 
good, about +5.5, with just some Austin city glow low in 
the east.  The sky was clear except perhaps for a little 
west Texas dust carried in on the NW wind steady at about 
25 kph with gusts to 40 or more.  It was kind of chilly for 
here, about 1 or 2 deg. Celsius.

Radiant was very low; the show wasn't too exciting.  The 
brightest QUA I saw was +1.  I faced a spot about 50 
degrees up in the NNE, to the upper left of the bowl of the 
Big Dipper (UMa).  Here are ten-minute time-period results:

Per. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total
---- - - - - - - - - -----
QUA  1 0 2 0 2 3 3 3  14
SPO  1 2 2 1 1 2 0 4  13

QUA magnitudes
+1 +2 +3 +4  ? (? = not noted)
-- -- -- -- --
 1  8  3  1  1

Five of the SPO tracks were pretty much due south to due 
north, and three others were SSE to NNW.

Went with a colleague and one of his sons.  Had to give it 
up early due to today being a work day and also since I've 
got laryngitis and "cedar fever" (allergy to "Juniperus 
ashei" pollen) and maybe should have stayed home....

I saw three others QUA's outside of Teff -- two of them
going down in the south just a few seconds apart, seen 
through the car window as we were on the way back to Austin.

Looking forward to results of those who know what they are 
doing!

Ed Cannon - ecannon@mail.utexasdot edu - Austin, Texas, USA
http://wwwvms.utexasdot edu/~ecannon/meteorlinks.html

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