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(meteorobs) Hot Virginid Nights

     After not getting to observe Thursday morning,  I was eager to get out Friday morning
as skies remained clear here.  A brief two-hour session would turn out to be more memorable than I had anticipated.  I did not pre-check any radiants before going out, although I did
have a rough idea where the VIR radiant was.
     Not only were skies quite transparent (avg LM 6.4) but the temperature was more moderate tonight, around 38F when I arrived at my site.  The first period was rather busy, with nine meteors, but the second period proved stronger still, with 14.  One 1-minute flurry brought three meteors, only one of which was I able to plot.  Another late-second period minute provided two meteors within 20 seconds of each other.
     While staring at Corvus and realizing how unfamiliar the region below it was to me, a -3 Virginid with a long path made it's appearance directly in my FOV.  I was able to study it nicely from start to finish.  It seemed to take it's time in ramping up to it's brightest magnitude.  It was yellowish and it's .5 sec wake was quite visible in the fireball's bright glow.   Had it not been a fireball I would not probably have assigned it a VIR, even though it aligned within a couple or three degrees, as the path length as I plotted it was equal to the length from the radiant to the start point.  But I was not positive about the start and end points, and I recall that the path/length radiant rule did not apply to fireballs.  The speed of (I'm guessing) about 8-10 degrees per second seemed right.
     Even more surprises awaited me when I got home and began evaluating my plots.  I saw 2 Virginids each period, a rather good haul, I thought.  Even more pleasing was the exact alignment of three faint, medium-speed meteors at 14hrs 08min +12, almost exactly at the radiant Bob Lunsford reported in Bootes on Feb 1/2 (14hrs 05 min +12)!!!  All three meteors
crossed at the exact same point, rather improbable considering my limited plotting skills.  Further, none of the other meteors provided any sharp radiants at all on any of my plotting charts for the night.  Just the one Bootid radiant right where Bob indicated!!
     The weather is expected to remain clear through the weekend so I intend to be back out, plots in hand!

*********************************************************
OBSERVER:  Kim S. Youmans (YOUKI)  DATE:02-03/04-00
BEGIN: 07:42UT  END10:00UT  LOCATION:  Treutlen Co, Ga.
82. 24' 25" W;  32. 24' 45" N
METHOD: Tape    Elev 240 ft
Facing South
2 period, sky 0% obscured, No breaks

Period 1  7:42 - 08:49 UT  SPO(7) VIR(2)
Dead time =3 min  Teff = 1.07  F= 1.00
SolarLong. 314.821x

Period 2  08:52 - 10:00 UT  SPO(12)VIR(2)
Dead time = 5 min  Teff = 1.10  F= 1.00
SolarLong. 314.870x

Limiting Magnitudes
08:00 UT  (IMO 11)+6.27  (IMO 9)+6.40 (IMO 4)+6.41
08:30 UT  (IMO 11)+6.27  (IMO 9)+6.52 (IMO 4)+6.41
09:00 UT  (IMO 11)+6.32  (IMO 9)+6.52 (IMO 4)+6.41
09:30 UT  (IMO 11)+6.32  (IMO 9)+6.61 (IMO 4)+6.35

Center FOV - Midperiod (UT)
Period 1  178x +12x
Period 2  191x +13x

Showers Observed
VIR(4)   160x   +14x
SPO(19)

Mag Distribution
VIR(4)  -3(1)                 +3(2)       +5(1)
SPO(16)     0(1) +1(1)  +2(2) +3(5) +4(7) +5(3)
 

Period 1
(Time UT, Shower, Mag, Speed, Accuracy/plot #)
01  07:48   VIR   +3      2      4      BA
02  08:04   SPO   +4      2         N/A
03  08:05   SPO   +2      3         N/A
04  08:08   SPO   +3      3      2      BB
05  08:32   VIR   +3      2      4      BC
06  08:32   SPO   +1      3         N/A
07  08:32   SPO   +3      3         N/A
08  08:38   SPO   +5      3      2      BD
09  08:45   SPO    0      5      5      BE
                           2 sec train

Period 02(Time UT, Shower, Mag, Speed)
10  08:53   SPO   +4      3      5      BF
11  08:56   VIR   +5      2      2      BG
12  09:13   VIR   -3      2      2      BH
                           see remarks
13  09:22   SPO   +2      5      1      BI
                           train
14  09:23   SPO   +5      2      2      BJ
15  09:25   SPO   +4      4         N/A
16  09:30   SPO   +3      3      3      BK
17  09:32   SPO   +4      3      2      BL
18  09:34   SPO   +4      2         N/A
19  09:48   SPO   +4      5         N/A
20  09:51   SPO   +5      3         N/A
21  09:51   SPO   +4      2      3      BM
22  09:56   SPO   +3      4      3      BN
23  10:00   SPO   +3      3      2      BO

Remarks:  Meteor 12, a VIR  -3, had a .5 sec
wake and a 20 degree path.

Accuracy scale(1-5) 1/best 2/good 3/fair 4/poor  5/worst