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(meteorobs) Re: Observing the Leonids from Florida
Pete and others,
I still expect to go for the Leonids locally, along the lower west coast of
Florida. Most nights have been clear recently, the best clear string I've
seen since 1996. Actual observing is to be done from an inland site. The
vast bulk of population is clustered on or near the coast, but not north of
St. Petersburg-Clearwater.
I thought we would be getting a cold front later this weekend, but it got
hung up in Texas. All that mess has to move somewhere eventually, probably
east or ENE and thinning as it goes.
Nights have cooled off a little more this week, lows around 60F in town and
55F inland. I did get out for a couple of nights, and the bug numbers
continue to fall. It's a whole lot more comfortable now than in August.
Bronson and Chiefland, Florida are WSW of Gainesville. The Chiefland
astronomers have a very good site. There is a stretch of Florida between
Tallahassee and Tampa for around 200 miles that has black night skies. It's
a novelty to drive through there and see almost no light domes in any
direction. There aren no other major cities and only a few small towns.
It's a remarkably empty region, but there's nothing to attract tourists to
that area.
If general winds die down too much around the Leonid period while humidity
stays up, everybody better head further south to get away from radiation
fog. Tallahassee is a very foggy place -- I learned to like it during my
stay there 1964-68. But I did see Leonids of 1964,65,66 all 3 from
Tallahassee. In 1965 and 1966 there was only a minor fog threat -- 1966 it
finally swooped in as low clouds as dawn was starting, so I was very lucky.
I never saw the Leonids from Miami, 1962 or 1963. In 1961 I was in central
Georgia, clouded out there, while my friends left behind in Miami were also
clouded and rained out for Leonids.
Norman
Norman W. McLeod III
Staff Advisor
American Meteor Society
Fort Myers, Florida
nmcleod@peganet.com
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