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(meteorobs) Re: NWM2000Nov30/1 meteors rather good



It's been mostly cloudy since the Leonids, and I managed to get one night of
observing in.  It turned into one of the better nights I've had outside of
major showers.  Observing for 4:18 hours (124 - 542 EST, 624 - 1042 UT) I
recorded 57 meteors in a superb sky at LM 7.4 throughout.  Showers noted
were 3 Leonids, 7 Sigma Hydrids, 2 Geminids, 3 Monocerotids, 1 North Taurid,
1 South Taurid, and 40 sporadics.  There were no Chi Orionids or
Puppid-Velids, and I was out too late for any Phoenicids. ( In fact, I have
yet to see a Phoenicid at all -- just never am out at the time this one
might produce something.  Eventually I need to spend a little time on a
clear evening of December 5 to try for a Phoenicid.  Phoenix is completely
above the southern horizon from here.)

Four regular hours 126 - 526 EST  (626 - 1026 UT) had total rates 13,11,8,15
; sporadics alone 7,9,5,15.  Magnitude table for the sporadics in the range
-2m to +6m : 1,1,2,0,6,6,10,12,2 ; total 40, average 3.48m (fainter than my
long-term average of 3.40m.)

The Sigma Hydrids made a very nice showing with bright, strongly colored,
trained meteors.  Three of them came the first hour, the other four within
less than an hour at the end of the session.    It would be worth giving
their individual data :

yellow  -2m    train 1 second
white-yellow  0m   train 1
+3m
blue    -1m    no train
yellow    0m    train 0.5
white-yellow   -2m  train 1
orange    -1m   train 1

This is the strongest minor shower in the entire last half of the year.  I
have been as high as 7 Sigma Hydrids in an hour, and a haul of 5 in an hour
is not unusual sometime in the first half of December.  It is surprising
that the IMO doesn't rate this one very well.

The night's best meteor was a moderate green  -2m sporadic that went 40
degrees in 4 seconds.  (My color intensity descriptions : subtle - like star
colors, moderate - like the strongest star colors or slightly better,
intense - like airplane lights.)

There was a near-simultaneous pair : a +4m sporadic immediately followed by
the blue Sigma Hydrid.  I detected no break between them, but they didn't
overlap either.

I was facing south at elevation 70 degrees.  The zodiacal band arched
overhead, and zodiacal light also made a major showing toward the end.  M44
resolved into a naked-eye swarm of around 20 stars but too close together to
count.   M41 also resolved into a dozen or so stars.  It was reasonably
comfortable with temp in mid-50'sF and just an occasional mosquito.  Overall
it was a beautiful and entertaining night.

Norman

Norman W. McLeod III
Staff Advisor
American Meteor Society

Fort Myers, Florida
nmcleod@peganet.com

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