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(meteorobs) Re: Xi Draconids

Robert and All,

A meteor's magnitude has nothing to do with shower association. All
showers can produce meteors of varying brightness and have the
capability of producing fireballs. One can state that a certain shower
has a tendency to produce bright or faint meteors but this does not mean
that they can only produce bright or faint meteors. While most of the Xi
Draconids that I have seen have been faint, there is no reason
whatsoever that it cannot also produce a fireball.

The observing conditions also plays a role in the average magnitude of
what one sees. From your light polluted backyard most of the meteors
seen will be on the bright side. Someone who watches from a mountain top
under +6.5 skies will see many more fainter meteors producing a fainter
average magnitude for the activity seen. Therefore we have the
possibility of two observers observing simultaneously reporting that the
activity they see is both bright and faint. Naturally the observer on
the mountain top should see more activity as they could see both bright
and faint meteors while the backyard observer sees only the bright
activity.

So if a meteor is exceeding bright or faint, this does not eliminate it
from belonging to a certain shower if all of the other parameters match.

Clear Skies!

Bob Lunsford



Robert Gardner wrote:
> 
> I have from time to time been trying to observer from my light polluted
> back yard.  the other night I did just that.  I saw one meteor that fit
> the radiant of Xi Draconids but it was so bright that I didn't think I
> could be correct or some one would have mentioned that they were so
> bright.  I have been waiting for some other reports for comparison but
> none have come, so I will hazard the humiliation of being told that I am
> wrong.
> 
> Observer:  Robert Gardner (GARRO)
> Location:  Sierra Madre, CA, USA
>                 Latitude: 34o 09min 55sec
>                 Longitude: 118o 03min 32sec
>                 Altitude:  800 ft.
> Method: tape recorder and talking clock.
> Date:  12/13 June 2,001
> The LM of all the observations were 3.5 at the zenith fading rapidly to
> undeterminable limits further down.
> I had less than  50% of the sky visible due to trees and buildings.
> 
> Facing NE at +60o elevation
> 5:35 UTC
> 6:30 UTC Saw no meteors.
> 
> Facing NNE at +85o elevation
> 8:25 UTC        saw two second magnitude sporadic
> 8:55 UTC
> 
> 8:55 UTC  Saw one Xi Draconid  which was easily -1.5 magnitude.
> 9:25 UTC  Its trace was white and I saw no trail though I am not quite
> sure what you folks mean by a trail.
> 
> This meteor aligned unusually well with the radiant  and if this does
> not fit the normal description of a Xi Draconid then it is a chance
> sporadic.
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